Project Eve R
by Pokepika's Haunt
Summary: Rated T for safety and swearing! More inside!
1. Of Human Folly Birth of the Ore Pokémon

A/N. Ok, so here's the first chapter of my revised Project Eve fic. Hope you all enjoy it and thanks for reading!

Note to All It May Concern- Any submitted OCs used in the previous fic will be showing up in this one as well. And I will be accepting new ones for this as well. If you have an account, please PM them to me, and if you need a reference sheet I **can** make one.

Submitted OCs must be **SPECIFIC** and **DETAILED**. Also, please keep in mind that not all submissions will be used…

Summary: An experiment born in a lab, she has only ever known battle and the thrill that comes with it. But after her master commissions the creation of yet another pokémon, the wheels of fate begin to turn, and soon she finds herself in the midst of a soon-to-be war between her newfound friend and the humans…

Amidst it all, a sea of questions born from a series of dreams…

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **Of Human Folly~ Birth of the Ore Pokémon...**

* * *

Humans were funny things. Iffy little, particularly squishy creatures that while clever in mind, and certainly far more cunning than most other living beings, had a terrible tendency to overreach themselves.

And if that wasn't a novel little thought, she wasn't entirely sure what was.

It wasn't that they purposely set out to do the impossible, and constantly failed. Because they'd certainly had a number of successes.

There was a reason they existed as the predominant race on the planet after all, and it wasn't just because the wild pokémon _allowed_ them to. No, they just spread that quickly, and had a habit of marking their territory in ways that were very difficult to overcome.

But sometimes, one had to wonder, if maybe they were trying to be something they could not, even on the most basic of levels, be.

God…

She didn't _know_ a lot about the world that lay outside the steel and bolted walls of the labs. She knew very little of anything at all, besides a few fundamental things that just came with the slot in life she'd been given. Things one didn't _have_ to be told explicitly, in order to understand their meaning.

But one of those things, something possibly deeply ingrained into her DNA, like the instincts that dictated every little move she made, whether she was in battle, or simply giving the clever little humans that had created her hell because she'd slipped out of her cage again and they still couldn't figure out how, were the gods that reigned over their world with an almost apathetic interest.

And she _knew_ , without ever having left the lab, or being told, that they were largely apathetic. Because they didn't _have_ to care about the world they ruled, or the welfare of its inhabitants. They were pokémon after all, just like she was…

But they were also gods, able to bend space and alter the flow of time; break down the universe and build it all over again from scratch. But for all that raw power, they only seemed to just sit back and twiddle their thumbs.

And maybe this discontented the humans, because their gods were pokémon whoms asses could not be asked so hard that they both literally and figuratively occupied a different dimension entirely.

So they sought to become a god instead.

She couldn't _really_ fault them of course. Just like the humans, every pokémon wanted power. But they needed that power to survive in the wilds, where humans couldn't and wouldn't explicitly go out of their way to take care of them. The stronger you were, the easier it was to just live.

Humans didn't particularly have that problem though, so at the same time, it made little sense for them to strive for more of something that didn't specifically need, and certainly didn't really have.

Humans were intelligent yes, far more than what was probably completely safe considering their curious natures. But they weren't strong. They couldn't take a Flamethrower and not get seriously injured. A newborn pichu's Thundershock could put a human in the hospital for extended periods of time if fired at the right voltage.

They didn't _have_ power, but that's what pokémon were for. Something born with power, so the humans didn't have to worry about surviving in a surprisingly hostile world.

But she had to wonder, faintly, in the back of her mind as the _scientists_ poked and prodded her, put sharp needles in her limbs and drew blood, pulled of baby blue-gray fur and purposely pricked their fingers on her fangs,

"Dr. White, Giovanni will be paying a visit in three days, and he's expecting results…"

' _Why?'_

"Of course, tell him that the prototype is ready, and that we can begin Project C as soon as he approves it."

"Yes Sir."

"Did she pass all the tests? The last five were ready, and they all destabilized in the end. This one could do the same."

"Field tests… genetics… battling capabilities even, all flying colors. The only thing we couldn't overcome was that damn stat limit pre-built into the genetic codes we used."

"What was it? 525? That's the estimated score, right?"

"Something like that… It's not a lot…"

"It doesn't _need_ to be a lot… It never has. Don't worry, she's ready."

Why, in order to become a god, did they feel the need to create creatures such as herself?

"You're going to do amazing things… I can just tell… Orreon."

* * *

A/N. So, what do you guys think? Shorter than I originally wanted it to be, but a prologue is a prologue I guess… Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading.


	2. A Fateful Meeting Pt 1

A/N. Here's the first chapter chapter… Hope you all enjoy it!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 01: A Fateful Meeting? Pt. 1**

* * *

"The battle between Challenger Kyle of Sandgem Town and Gym Leader Giovanni of Viridian City shall now commence."

The heat from the spotlight overhead would certainly detour most trainers, both from the unbearable stuffiness that plagued the room, as well as the unseen and indeterminate pressure that just seemed to be there.

It wasn't even that impressive of a gym.

The front entrance certainly gave off the necessary impressions that this was the strongest gym in the Kanto region, and even the lobby where accepted trainers with the brains to reserve a battle made for high expectations…

But the battlefield killed most, if not all of the suspence that came with such a prelude.

It was… barren to say the least, not showy at all, and far less impressive than what anyone would probably ever envision.

There were a couple of rocky protrusions, at very heights, and a couple of large boulders. It reminded him of the deserts in several regions he had already traveled in, or even a mountain.

Fitting, in a way he was certain. This _was_ a gym that specialized in the use of ground-types after all.

"As per request, this battle will be a full Six-on-six match. Only the challenger may switch out pokémon. Are these rules acceptable?"

"Yes." It didn't matter. He would win his eighth badge, and go on to challenge the Indigo League. He'd win, and then maybe challenge that missing champion from years ago. And then if he beat him, well then that _man_ was next… He'd prove his strength…

"Begin!"

"Cinders, battle time!" He called, flinging the circular device into the air. It opened with a sharp click and a brilliant flash of light, a giant lizard of a pokémon with wide wings and fire spitting from between its large fangs.

A present from his father after his last league challenge, but one he'd taken and trained until it could hopefully rival the best. Part flying-type, and a fire-type to boot. The worst he'd have to fear were rock-type attacks, as ground-types were wont to use, and all of the ground-type attacks his opponent's pokémon held were absolutely useless…

"A charizard… and an impressive one to boot." The gym leader said, shrouded in light and little more than a condescending shadow in his little balcony. The man was so above him he couldn't even be asked to come down to his level.

He'd admit that that pissed him off quite a bit.

But he wouldn't let it distract him from this battle.

"Rhyperior!" Unlike his own pokémon, this dual-type came out with little fanfare, the inevitable shaking of the ground below the only warning of its arrival, a deep gravel filled growl in its throat and a glare that would've put most weaker pokémon into submission in its eyes.

Cinders, was _not_ a weaker pokémon though, none of his were. He'd raised them to be brave and strong.

"Charizard vs. Rhyperior, battle commence… Now!"

"Cinders, start it off with a Flamethrower!" It wouldn't be very effective against the large rock-type, but it would be a good test at least. Rock-types normally held an impressive defense after all, only beat out by steel-types, and a good first step when facing them was to see just how much damage they could take in a fight.

Physical attacks would probably only wind up hurting his own pokémon after all, with how much of a tank that specific typing was. But special attacks were normally pretty good at weathering them down. And he wanted to save his starter and ace for later, if at all possible.

As expected the attack didn't do anything, aside from leaving a few mild burns across the large pokémon's hide. And the pokémon itself seemed even less deterred by that than it had by the initial attack.

' _Not good… That means its special defense is off the charts too… But that was an attack it was resistant to… Let's see how it handles a super-effective attack…'_

"Cinders! Take to the air, use Steel Wing!"

"Rock Wrecker!" The two attacks clashed rather violently, both pokémon ricocheting off each other, before they barreled back into each other again.

The behemoths were taking equal amounts of damage, and he wasn't entirely sure how well the fire-breathing lizard could hold up. As far as he could tell at the moment, the two pokémon were mostly even in power, and while the opponent had endurance in spades and a defensive wall to bolster that factor, Cinders had the speed and raw attack power to match those stats.

"RWOAR!"

"Dragon Claw!" A hasty change of tactics; but combined with the orange beast's Steel Wing, it was more than enough to throw the pokémon off.

It skidded across the ground, clawed feet leaving deep furrows as it tried to stop its backwards momentum. Top heavy as it was though, all it could manage an arm flailing and rather comedic trip as it came crashing to the ground, smoke and dust coming in blinding bellows as gravity did the rest of the work.

"Cinders! Now, finish it!" the dragon didn't hesitate, a strong flap of its wings easily closing the gap between the two as the powered up Metal Claw hit home.

The gym leader gave no indication to any frustration he might've felt at the end result as he recalled the fallen pokémon, almost as if it had been entirely expected that the creature would lose the fight, or even if it hadn't, that it didn't matter in the end.

And that was strange, because even he'd admit that that fight had ended all too quickly. This was supposed to be the strongest gym in the Kanto Region, and the rest had given far more of a fight and pushed far harder when he'd challenged.

It'd been so easy though…

' _Too easy…'_ for such a large and powerful pokémon, with such a clear type advantage that should've been a lot less one-sided, and yet all it had taken was for his charizard to get the beast down long enough for it to land a good enough attack…

Something wasn't right here, and he could feel it in his bones.

"Rhyperior is unable to battle, Charizard wins!"

"Very good… And your charizard is well-trained. I almost wasn't expecting that."

And there was the crux of the issue; the man _had_ been expecting that. He'd sent out the rhyperior _knowing_ it would lose. And that bothered him terribly.

Was he in over his head on this one? Or was the gym leader just going easy on him? Was it a trap?

He'd heard stories that the gym leader of Viridian City was… well, questionable at best. No one quite saw nearly enough of the man to put any bad rumors to rest, and the man himself didn't seem to give a care as to what the others he shared an occupation with thought. Suspicions ran high for such a largely peaceful region, and while there hadn't been any major incidents, there _were_ tales of frankly shady actions the gym leader had taken.

But maybe he was just letting all those boogey man stories get to his head. A gym leader involved in criminal activities was a ridiculous notion to say the least, and even less believable than a pignite suddenly sprouting wings and flying.

Still… The man _had_ to be up to something…

"Cinders, be ready for anything…" the dual-type growled in response, eyes narrowing as their opponent held up another pokéball, seemingly contemplating his next course of action before he flung it with an almost dismissive air.

"Your caution is well-founded… Golem!" the man muttered, the round heavyweight appearing on the ground, purposely teetering back and forth. Clearly, it was ready for a brawl.

"Charizard vs. Golem, begin!"

"Alas, it will do you no good. End this lizard with a Rollout!" the pokémon was all too happy to comply, jumping into the air and barreling towards Cinders in some helter-skelter form of the ordered attack.

What parts of the battlefield that just happened to be in the creature's way were quickly demolished, and Cinders took the skies in a hasty retreat from the chaotic attack. It seemed to miss, but being in the air had been exactly what the creature and its trainer had wanted.

"Rock Slide!"

He'd let his guard down too quickly it seemed, and now poor Cinders was paying the price for his bout of stupidity. He should've been wary of a gym leader's skills, after all, not all of them were so straightforward and forthcoming with their tactics. And a lot of them liked to play tricks when they battled.

"Sorry Cinders, but you did good…" Golem wasn't particularly fast on its feet, but in that ball shape, it could easily compensate for its more cumbersome form. He'd need something speedy and powerful to bring it down…

Luckily he had just the pokémon, "Go, Leaf!"

"Breloom!" the pokémon in question burst forth, all too eager for a good battle, bouncing lightly on its feet.

"Charizard is unable to battle, Golem wins! The next battle will be Gym Leader Giovanni's Golem against the challenger's Breloom. Begin!"

"Ok, Leaf, Mach Punch!"

"LOOM!"

* * *

Giovanni was no fool.

He did not get easily carried away with anything, and seldom did he allow himself the sheer pleasure that came with a simple, but hard fought battle. No, those days had long passed when his mother had had the audacity to disappear and leave an entire criminal organization in his hands…

But, even in this scenario, he couldn't help but smile. Even just a little.

The trainer before him was… skilled to be certain. Not the best, but certainly nowhere near the worst to have challenged him. And his pokémon were certainly well-trained. Desirable, but unwanted, and the only agents he had to spare were certainly not of the skill set needed to acquire such creatures from a trainer so clearly experienced.

But still, even if he could not have the boy's pokémon to add to his steadily growing arsenal, they both _could_ still serve a purpose.

He had yet to have a good sparring partner for his most recent acquisition after all, and the poor thing was in _dire_ need of some entertainment with all the hell she had been giving the grunts he'd left to handle her.

Already, his pokémon had managed to take down all but two of his pokémon, while the boy's own pokémon had stayed at a rather steady and able three.

If he could just take down this last one, his newest weapon could have all the fun in the world picking apart what was left of the challenger's precious team…

' _There!'_

Giovanni was not a fool, or prone to bouts of emotion. But at that moment, as he watched his prized nidoking fall in defeat, he couldn't help but celebrate internally.

His pet would get her playtime…

"I must say… you are very skilled. I don't think I've been pushed into such a corner in such a long time." He didn't sound stressed at all, and that left his opponent very edgy in regards to his own behavior. But really, could one blame him if he derived a sort of pleasure from watching his opponent squirm when the battle was well within his hands.

Time to see if those crackpot scientists were really worth the money he'd expended to have this creature created.

He threw the recently acquired pokéball into the air, and it burst in a near blinding show of light as a creature of unknown origins appeared.

Brilliant blue eyes glinted strangely at the sight of a new enemy to take down, and the diamond-like jewel that set pretty at the center of its forehead flashed for a second, dull, baby blue fur that bordered a strange shade of gray covering the majority of its body, with a strange and vivid shade of blue spreading out to cover the tips and back of the creature's head and ears and fanning out into a diamond-like shape on its back. The same shade covered the various tufts of fur that created this new pokémon's tail and even covered the creature's legs like socks.

Strange bands as well, like stones, wrapped around all four limbs, and whiskers flicked in the newfound air, a breeze pulling gently at its fur, though the creature largely ignored that.

She was beautiful, he could admit. Not quite jaw-dropping like some pokémon were, and aside from the fact that she was unofficially the only one of her kind, she certainly wasn't much different from any of the other "eeveelutions" that existed in this world.

The unknown, manmade ninth of what was originally eight different pokémon species that evolved from one of the more popular, "baby" species known as an eevee.

Though, to be fair, _this_ pokémon hadn't originally been a pokémon at all.

Humans could be so fascinating sometimes…

"Orre!"

"What the-?!" The trainer's shock and apparent confusion was well-warranted at the sight of such a creature. After all, with species after species of pokémon still being discovered across the globe, an as of yet unseen and entirely undiscovered species was, while not uncommon an occurrence, was still a sight to behold.

A shame the boy would probably never get the chance to catch something like it. To his own vast knowledge, eevees couldn't evolve into a rock-type yet, and unless he was wrong, they were still looking for a dragon-type evolution to match the more recently discovered fairy-type.

"Salamence vs. Orreon, are both participants ready?"

* * *

What even _was_ this thing?

It _looked_ like one of the more well-known evolutionary forms that came from eevees, hell he even possessed one himself, but could it be?

If a new eeveelution had been discovered, it would've been all over the news and every pokémon researcher worth their white lab coats in gold would've been flocking to see and study it.

But if the trainer had wanted to keep the pokémon on the down low… well, it wouldn't have been entirely unheard of… but to risk showing it in a gym battle, where any challenging trainer who saw it could blab to anyone willing to _hear_?

Even if it wasn't some new evolved form like he was expecting, it was still a new species of pokémon, and if one wanted to hide something like that, you certainly didn't broadcast it like this.

"Are you sure you want to use this… this thing?" He felt bad calling it that, it was certainly no _thing,_ It was a pokémon, plain and simple, no matter where it came from or what its typing might be.

But he didn't know the gender, and he wasn't entirely sure of the species, though he was fairly certain that the attending referee had called it an "Orreon".

Orreon… that species' name alone was enough to convince that this was some new, as of yet truly discovered evolution for eevee.

But the name wasn't nearly specific enough to give any inclination as to the typing, though it did narrow it down to three.

Rock, steel, or ground… Any of them could and would know a move that could down his salamence if he wasn't careful…

"Fierce, be careful, alright? This isn't an opponent we've faced before. We don't know what it can do, and you're tired from that last battle…" He warned the powerful dragon.

Fierce took a moment to glance back at him and nod, before turning back to its newfound opponent. There was a vicious glare somewhere in the creature's gaze he knew, but this new pokémon didn't seem bothered in the least by what would normally be a giant predator for most of its kind…

He frankly wasn't sure whether he should be concerned by that or not…

"I repeat, are both sides ready?"

"Fierce, Dragon Claw!"

"Begin!"

There was a cacophonic mess of noise as Fierce reared back his head in a mighty, ground-shaking roar before he lunged at the new creature; the ground erupting as the ordered attack struck home.

It, admittedly, probably hadn't been his wisest move to have the dragon rush in like that with little thought. But the eeveelutions as a whole were not known for their impressive physical prowess; the only one able to take a physical attack head on and come out on the other end relatively okay being the grass-type leafeon. Even then, by comparison, his salamence had more than enough power to compensate…

Still, he didn't know what this new pokémon was capable of, and rushing headlong into battle like that could have serious repercussion for both himself and his pokémon. He'd already dug his hole however, he just had to pray he wasn't knocked rather violently into it.

To his own relief, Fierce came out of the smoke and debris unharmed. The other pokémon however, was…

' _Where is it?!'_

Now he could see why Fierce had left the cover of the smoke instead of attempting to press his attack.

The new pokémon had _vanished_.

"I must say, your rush to end this battle was probably well-founded. But, it was also very stupid of you. Before we well and truly get things started though… I must ask, do you have an inclination as to what that pokémon is?"

The gym leader was baiting him, purposefully, and for what reason he couldn't imagine. But if he wanted to ask questions and pad out the battle fine, he'd play along for now.

He needed time anyways, to figure where in the world that pokémon had gotten off to… There'd been so little _time._

"I don't know. Never seen anything like it before… But if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say some new evolution of eevee?"

If he could just keep the man talking for a little longer…

"You'd be right. She _is_ a new… 'eeveelution', as you young ones have a tendency to put it." The man _had_ to be rolling his eyes up there in his little box of safety. And really, the lingo was a little ridiculous, but it worked, and _was_ widely used and accepted by the more pokémon oriented culture… "Orreon, the Ore Pokémon." He said, a hint of unadulterated pride clear in his voice.

The man was clearly very proud of this pokémon… Was it his starter maybe? Every gym leader had a simple trainer at one point or another after all. Gym leaders didn't just pop up from out of nowhere. Few people were just _that_ good.

Where had the man gone to get such a creature?

"So that's an evolved form of eevee, we've established that much… Care to tell me what it's typing is? This _is_ a ground-type gym… but you have quite a lot of rock-types in your care…"

"She is a rock-type, if that really makes things any easier for you. Shame it probably won't do much in the end though."

"What?" She, _she_ … female eevees were rare, so to find one had to have taken quite a lot of stubbornness. And they were usually not very… cooperative to say the least. The more predominant males of the species were normally more cooperative when it came to training, and to find one and then get her to evolve?

This man was _far_ more skilled than he'd initially gave him credit for.

And from the way the man was talking, this pokémon… this orreon, she was clearly a lot more powerful than she looked.

"You see… she doesn't get to come out and battle very often… good as the trainers are that dare to challenge this gym, I'm afraid quite a few of them don't make it past Rhyperior, let alone to battle this one… And those that do…" he could hear the man chuckling, even from the distance that lay between them, and he couldn't help the sudden sense of trepidation and fear that overtook his senses… "Well, they never last very long, I'm afraid… But you do have two other pokémon… Hopefully they'll be enough to keep her entertained for a little while."

"Entertained?"

"Ashe!"

' _Shit!'_ the ground erupted right underneath Fierce, and there an utter cacophony of noise as the dragon screeched at the sudden attack from below. Rock spires jutting out of the ground almost violently as the pokémon in question lunged, fangs clearly managing to sink passed battle-hardened scales as blue eyes glinted with a clear lust for battle.

This _was_ the man's starter… she just had to be. Even disregarding the violent nature of her attacks, few trainers gave a nickname to their pokémon, no matter how convenient it made telling them apart. Trainers who normally didn't give names to their pokémon, typically didn't bother over all, but if they did, if they ever bothered to do so…

It was always with their starter.

He was battling the man's ace.

* * *

" _Ashe!"_

She'd been all too happy to take the chance, lunging at her opponent with an almost feral glee as teeth grated against hard scales before finally catching and then _sinking._

She didn't get to battle dragons very often. In fact, she didn't get to battle very often at all. Rhyperior was too good a pokémon, and Persian, when her master decided to use the sly feline pokémon, was just too efficient when it came to systematically knocking her opponents out.

She _never_ got to fight. But _this_ , these rare seldom chances when she could leave her cage and wrestle good and proper with the pokémon of visiting trainers, these were the best.

They had to be, because she had little else to look forward to. And if she was going to battle for the man's pleasure, she'd at the very least derive some joy from it.

" **Blasted little creature! Get off of me!"** The dragon roared beneath her, some foreign creature that her boss would've surely had his eye on had it not been for the little fact that all of his capable and trusted agents were out on important missions and not at headquarters right now.

They couldn't steal him a powerful dragon-type, but she _could_ knock it out at the very least. And maybe if she did a good job, once the agents returned they could swipe it right off the boy without him having any way of stopping them.

" _Rollout!"_

Another difference between herself and Giovanni's other, natural-born pokémon.

While they could be considered clever in their own rights, they sometimes took too long to plot how exactly they were going to attack. It made it a little too easy for the opponents to defend themselves, and maybe that was the point. But she saw no reason to waste time it was so blatantly important to her trainer.

She might not've been a natural-born, but there were certain things that just came with being a pokémon. And loyalty and adoration for their human trainers was one of them. She understood, intimately, that for her trainer, time translated to money, and like most humans to her own understanding, he placed incredible value on the concept of money.

Time wasted was money wasted. And Giovanni _hated_ to waste money. So while she _could_ plot, take the time to carefully plan every little move she made and possibly end this in one single strike, she wouldn't.

Because unlike Giovanni's pokémon, she didn't need to necessarily take the time to figure out how exactly to fell her opponent. She could think and attack at the same time, plot the attack as she made it, and she did it well.

 _Cunning, clever little thing…_

' _Spin around the Dragon Claw, it's not that big of an attack… Find the weakness… Not there. But… There!'_

" **Boss's orders Big Guy!"** She called, leaping into the air easily before curling into a ball. Her tail glowed with the barely hidden power of a steel-type attack, but it wouldn't matter as she came down, letting gravity bolster the overall weight and power, and accented by the sharp bite of a slightly less effective Iron Tail, the overgrown lizard crashed into the ground with a pained roar.

If it knew any better it wouldn't get back up, but she'd never claimed that dragons were a wise sort of pokémon, and in her own experience she'd met far too many that were just as dimwitted as their trainers.

But there was a reason grunts were grunts, and pokémon rearing was really just not their cup of tea, or well within their skillsets.

" **Damn… Why you little… That HURT!"**

" **Ha!"** She couldn't have helped that response if she'd tried, expression openly disbelieving to anyone who knew what to look for. **"It's a pokémon battle, dearie! And I just hit you with a rock-type attack! It's supposed to hurt!"** She yelled out, hind legs coming up as she kicked back against the boulder that sat rather innocuously there. It crumbled easily under her own strength, and she couldn't help herself as she gave the dragon a rather toothy smirk.

" **You dare mock me?!"**

" **I dare do a lot of things! Starting with this!"** She felt the telltale signs of power collecting in the jewel on her forehead, the rocks around her lifting into the air as if by some magic. They shot off, rapid fire at speeds that would've been highly unsafe for most humans, and even some smaller pokémon.

They wouldn't do much to a dragon-type of this particular species' skill and size, at least not at their current level. But they weren't supposed to either.

" **Ha! What was that-Huh?"** She grinned down at the creature, completely oblivious to her newfound presence far above its head.

But it would know soon enough, especially with the little surprise she had planned for it.

" **This is gonna be** _ **fun**_ **!"** She giggled, creeping along the rafters to drop down on one of the lower hanging beams, before she carefully positioned herself… _'Now… a Rock Polish to up my speed… and… Trump Card!'_ She lunged, the red plates that were almost signature for her pre-evolved form appearing around her and shooting off, hitting the ground and causing it erupt in a proper smoke screen.

The dragon flew up higher to get out of it, not wanting to be where it couldn't see her, and played right her into her non-existent hands. **"You're part flying-type, right?"** she questioned, not needing an answer as the beast floundered beneath her. She could faintly hear its trainer calling out in concern, but it mattered little in the end.

The dragon would be defeated soon enough.

" **You little gnat!"**

" **And part dragon so… Take this!"** The gem on her forehead flashed brilliantly, the fairy-type attack that was supposed to be favored move of one of the gym leaders in the far off Kalos region flashing brilliantly before the dragon cried in pain, the super-effective move hitting home at practically point blank range.

She hopped off, but not before rounding off her attack with a well-timed Power Gem.

The dragon crashed the ground, out like a light and not getting back up any time soon, and she landed, just as gracefully as Persian had taught her, head held high as she circled the downed pokémon.

" _Fierce!"_

" **So who's next?"**

* * *

" _Sir! Oh-eegg…"_ whatever that disgusting sound had been, or was supposed to be, it certainly hadn't been the response she'd wanted when the lowly grunt had come barging into the room unannounced and frankly unwanted.

She'd _finally_ convinced her trainer to give her a scratch behind the ears after having done such a good job in the gym battle, though suffice to say, she probably could've gotten away with being a little more merciful to that trainer.

Poor dear was probably still traumatized from the beating all of his pokémon had gotten. Especially that snooty vaporeon the boy had probably been saving for something much akin to herself.

She _hadn't_ needed it telling her she wasn't natural, she knew that fact well enough without its help.

" _Now, now. Be nice,_ _ **both**_ _of you."_ She heard from somewhere over her head, her trainer, proud and rightfully lazy in his own power giving both herself and the other rightful occupant of the room a warning gaze.

He wouldn't be having them tearing up one of his grunts again because they were being hopelessly stupid.

" **Of course, Master."**

" **We're just making sure he doesn't break anything…"** Both were fully aware that the man in question couldn't understand a word they were saying. There was, after all, only so much a pokémon could do when their trainer didn't see them as equal creatures, but tools to be used and thrown away as he saw fit.

But even for all of his faults, she didn't think he was completely without honor, and while he certainly wasn't the best trainer any pokémon, natural-born or not, could have, he _did_ take care of them, even if only passively, and he made them strong.

What pokémon didn't want to be strong?

" _S-Sir!"_

" _Hurry up, I don't have the patience to deal with your idiocy today. Speak your mind and leave my presence before I decide against preventing them from skinning you alive!"_

Who _they_ were didn't need to be said as the grunt stammered and whimpered in fear, their trainer moving an arm out of her way so she could climb into his lap. Persian was, unfortunately too big, and she herself was just slightly smaller than most of her natural born cousins. It was a rare opportunity, with only one pokémon before to her knowledge having ever been gifted with the meager prize, but it was a comfortable spot none the less.

It didn't hurt at all that it simultaneously reminded the grunt of just what was on the line in this little scenario, and who held his life in the balance.

" **He's spoiling you…"**

" **Don't ruin it, I'm enjoying myself right now."**

" **Ha!"**

" _Well?"_

" _O-of course Sir! The scientist's on New Island just called! They say that Project C is done!"_

" _I see…"_

" _S-Sir?"_

" _Ready my chopper…"_

" _O-Of course Sir…"_

" _Did I stutter? I said now!"_

Apparently the grunt needed some encouragement, but that was easily fixed with a severely powered down Power Gem, forcing the human to run for the relative safety of the hallways, rather than remain well within her attack range. She got a light tap in reprimand from that, but the approval in both her trainer's eyes and in Persian's expression more than helped when it came to the flash of guilt she got in response.

She never _was_ particularly fond of attacking humans, admittedly, but she'd do what needed to be done in order to please her trainer. The man wasn't entirely against it, especially since it usually made them work that little bit faster…

" _Come, Ashe, Persian. If that grunt hasn't somehow managed to blow up my helicopter in the few seconds we've given him as a head start, there's a group of scientists we must visit. Hopefully, they haven't blown themselves up quite yet."_

" **Let's go…"**

" **Right behind ya."**

* * *

A/N. So what do you guys think? I hope you guys liked the chapter and thanks for reading! Any questions, send me a PM if you have an account. And if not, leave it in a review!

For those of you who want a better picture for what I just described go check out my deviantart page; pokepikas-haunt! You'll get to see the new Orreon design full color, and even with a neat little background that I worked very hard on thank you very much!

Anyways, please leave a review and see ya!


	3. A Fateful Meeting Pt 2

A/N. Here we go!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 02: A Fateful Meeting Pt. 2**

* * *

 _Fire burning hell brimstone_

 _MOMMY-_

She'd seen a lot of things, a lot of pokémon, in her very short life. A given considering who her master was and what his ambitions were. The occupation he used as both a cover and an additional source of money both leant themselves to quite the few interesting scenarios…

But even still, she'd never quite been prepared for the sight that had met her those few days ago.

 _Fire…_

 _Why is there so much fire?_

 _!# !_

 _HELP-_

They didn't bother her, they really didn't. Fire pokémon were easy to handle, practical cakewalks. She could battle some of them in her sleep if she had to. And yet… there had been something about the scene they'd arrived on that had stirred something deep within her that she'd forgotten about.

A memory, some long forgotten nightmare?

She wasn't sure, but for days afterwards her sleep had been plagued with night terrors, phantoms haunting her dreams as voices screamed in a panic.

She hadn't had a good night's rest since then, and maybe as a result she wasn't thinking completely straight. But she'd felt like she should see the cause for her current bout of insomnia. Even if it was only to observe it for a few short seconds.

It wasn't very likely to awake after all, considering how late into the evening it was. Not even the more determined humans were conscious at this time, so she wouldn't have to worry about wandering into them.

Still, she felt like she needed to do this.

' _I am completely crazy…'_

" **I wouldn't say crazy…"**

" **Oh, you're awake…"** she blinked, sitting down in front of thick steel bars that in no way could hold such a creature. Especially so, if the armor worked exactly as the humans had sworn it did. Were they lying?

" **You were with the human who found me…"**

" **Hmm?"** She didn't want to go to sleep, she really didn't. The nightmares were just not something she wanted to deal with now. Or ever.

Never would be preferable…

" **The human… in the… suit? Is that what it is called?"**

" **A suit? Yeah, that's what Master Giovanni wears…"**

" **What is even the point in that?"** Sitting down and with four legs, she couldn't quite make the same motions a human could. Shrugging her shoulders however, was still a very simple and clear action.

" **He's a leader, I guess. I know he's my trainer, and yours too, I think… But the other humans call him 'Boss'."** There was more to it than that, there always was. But she wasn't sure how much of the humans' mannerisms this creature understood, so she simplified as best as she honestly could. **"Persian says that since he's in charge of the other humans, he has to dress like it. And suits mean 'I have money, and I'm in charge!'…"**

" **And I thought the humans who created me were strange…"**

" **They're all a little strange I guess…"** She yawned then, sharp fangs glinting in the sparse lighting of the halls before standing up for a split second to stretch out her back.

Blazing infernos aside, this creature was easy to talk to, and it kept her awake for the most part.

" **You are tired…"** the creature said, eyes watching her from somewhere behind that mask. She shrugged, resisting the urge to lie down and rest for a bit.

' _No duh, brilliant deduction! Would you like to say anything else that's equally as obvious?'_ the creature flinched at that, and she eyed it strangely for a moment before she remembered the little fact that this creature was a psychic-type, or rather a clone of a powerful psychic-type, modified to such an extent that it supposedly surpassed the original.

It _could_ read her mind if it felt so inclined to do so, and since she was neither a dark, ghost, or fellow psychic-type she couldn't stop it even if she wanted to. Her thoughts were not so private in its presence unfortunately. **"Sorry… Persian says I get a little… testy… when I don't sleep…"**

" **Ah…"**

* * *

It, it, creature, creature, this pokémon, that experiment… It was suddenly beginning to bother her that she didn't know its name.

It had to have had a name. The humans were too prideful to not have named their own creation before it had killed them all. They'd given her a species name, even though she stanchly refused to answer to it, and they had to have done the same for this one too.

And it bothered her, _greatly,_ that in a little over a month's time of talking with the damn thing, that she hadn't asked for it at all.

What if it had a name it preferred to be called by too? Just like her?

And she really needed to stop calling it an 'it'. Even legendary pokémon had a gender, otherwise they wouldn't be able to reproduce. Because regardless of what most humans _liked_ to think, there were more than just one for every species of legendary pokémon.

Gods they may be, but even _they_ weren't all completely immortal. Ancient yes, and probably about as old as the entire universe, if not more so. But there were still clans, and herds, and hordes of them out there. Tribes that were in constant movement no matter what the scenario.

Otherwise, those shiny legendary pokémon some of the humans stumbled upon wouldn't exist.

And she… well, that creature was definitely male. She knew that much from just listening to him speak for the past few weeks.

Knew he was male, but not his name…

" **I don't know yours either."**

" **You know, you** _ **really**_ **need to stop doing that."** She said, eyes narrowed at the creature. Still in the cage, but at the very least he was allowed time outside. Or, well, as far as the gym's battlefield.

Giovanni had taken to using him quite a lot in battle, and while she herself had been used just about as frequently, there was something she'd begun to see in her trainer's eyes that left her very concerned.

" **Mewtwo…"**

" **Huh?"**

" **My name is Mewtwo… Or that is what the humans called me."**

" **Mewtwo huh…"** Her head tilted to one side, staring at the pokémon she'd _finally_ managed to coax out from the back of his cage after two weeks of making a right, persistent nuisance out of herself.

A long purple tail that had the potential to hurt quite a bit when used in battle, but usually was a great indicator of her… companion's mood.

She was hesitant to call him her friend, for various reasons. Though the most apparent one would be that she wasn't entirely sure what to make of this pokémon, or even what he thought of her.

Yes, they spoke, frequently and without any hesitation after a series of horrendously awkward confrontations that usually wound up frustrating the both of them to no end. And yes, they were both experiments. Him a completed project, and her both a successful project, and the prototype that had led to his own creation.

They weren't very different, at all, aside from the most apparent physical traits they had, and their own temperaments. But they hadn't known each other long enough for her to be comfortable with calling him a friend. And she wasn't sure if they could stay amicable for very long either.

Tensions could rise up suddenly and without warning, and the humans held no qualms with turning pokémon against each other for their own amusement.

* * *

Mewtwo had allowed the both of them to sit in silence for quite a while, allowing the other to think.

She was a… strange creature, to say the least. Foreign and free in a building filled to the brim with people who probably would've preferred in a cage. The other pokémon he'd talked to on occasion, had said she was a favorite of the man who ruled over the other humans, and that she couldn't be trusted.

But he wondered if that was their actual experience, or if that was what those "other humans" had convinced them to think.

Oh, he had no doubts as to the "favorite" part. She was clearly treated differently from the other pokémon. No cage, no handlers, if she'd ever had any. And if she did actually have them, they weren't the kind who were brave enough to try to bully and boss her around.

And she didn't have to wear the armor. Several pokémon in the building, almost every single one of them, had had to or were still wearing the rather uncomfortable pieces of technology. To help bolster and control their powers. And some of the older and more jaded ones could recall a time when even this little thing sitting in front of him had had to do the same.

But it had been short lived, and he wondered if she hadn't needed that much help, or if the humans were lying about the armor and its purpose.

Either way, she was clearly different. Independent in a way that none of the others were allowed to be. And that both fascinated and terrified him.

 _Why was she allowed to be so different, when everyone else was treated the same?_

Loyalty, as it turned out, was a very compelling thing to the cruel human who ruled over the other pokémon. And it allowed her to do whatever she pleased and whenever she felt like it.

" **What did the humans call you?"** he'd questioned eventually, tired of the silence and a little curious.

He'd given her his name, it'd only be fair to have hers, right?

" **The humans called me Orreon…"** she'd responded after a minute of just staring at him, eyes wide for a bit before she shook herself. **"But you can call me Ashe."**

" **Ashe?"**

" **Yep. I don't remember where I got it from, but I feel like it fits better. My master calls me it, and so does a few of the humans."**

That was something he didn't like about her though. The way everything always came back down to her "master".

He didn't think that her consideration of the humans was a particularly bad thing yet. And this "master" of hers, this Giovanni, was proving to be rather useful when it came to helping him control his powers better. But still, there was something _wrong_ with the man. He could tell.

Lies upon lies, and human greed at its finest. That man was as filthy as the people he worked with. And they _all_ knew it to some degree.

But Ashe, this little creature who'd been brought into this world through the same unnatural means as himself, seemed entirely blind to it.

' _Or maybe she isn't blind, and she just doesn't care…'_

He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that little revelation.

* * *

" **STAY STILL YOU LITTLE BRAT!"** the ground erupted in a flurry of dust and debris. A giant purple reptilian beast she easily recognized as a poison/ground-type pokémon bursting through the cloud and barreling straight towards her as she weaved around its charging form.

Off to the side somewhere, the ground lit up, fire scarring the ground and leaving quite the devastating trail in its wake.

There was some overgrown beast of a fire-type somewhere on the other side of the smoke, and while it would've been child's play to take it out with one well-timed attack, she had her hands full with a stubborn dual-type that didn't know when to quit.

Slow as it was, it would never catch her.

" **Watch out for that Flamethrower, you idiot!"** she barked, darting up and under the large ground-type's guard and using it as a spring board of sorts. She leapt clear over the crator the pokémon had left in its wake in that last attack and landed squarely, by sheer chance, on the back of the raging fire-type that had been giving her partner so much trouble.

Too late though, as the stubborn nidoqueen lay on the ground unconscious.

" _Nidoqueen is unable to battle!"_ came the referee's call from somewhere off to the side.

She huffed, claws digging in to the fire-type hide as it tried to shake her off.

" **Bad Doggie. Let me show you how it's done!"** She barked then, firing a Power Gem into its back at point blank range.

It yelped in pain, collapsing to the ground in an orange and black stripped heap. It would surely feel the attack in the morning, but it wasn't quite out yet, and between its speed and the nidoking's own blatant stubbornness, she'd have her hands quite full until Giovanni sent out her next partner.

" **Annoying little bitch!"** the arcanine, if she remembered correctly, grumbled. Growling deep in its throat as it glared her down. She wasn't bothered by the apparent show of hostility, simply smirking at the larger animal as she slinked between the rocks and boulders littering the field.

" **Aren't you supposed to be fast?"** the nidoking questioned from somewhere off to the side. Joining its partner it kept a keen eye on her form, probably waiting for her to attempt another Dig attack, so it could try for an Earthquake or Magnitude.

" **Idiot, I'm** _ **fast**_ **but not the** _ **fastest**_ **."**

" **Damn…"**

" _Arcanine! Fire Blast! Try and cut off its movement!"_

The ground lit up once again, the blaze darting across the ground and wrapping around her. It wouldn't do much good to stop her though, as she jumped over the blaze, gem on her forehead glowing brightly.

" **Nice try!"** She yelled, another Power Gem slamming into the ground and sending both opponents flying.

" **Why you… Take this!"**

" _Nidoking! Focus Blast!"_

" **Ah crap!"** she barked, eyes wide as the attack came spiraling towards her. _'I can't dodge, and none of my attacks will be fast enough… I could try Trump Card… but…"_

She had no place to go and no way of moving herself out of the way… But maybe…

" _Barrier."_ She spun into a ball, an orb of light surrounding her as she spun towards the ground below, darting into a quick Dig and coming back out on her trainer's side of the field.

He'd _finally_ sent out her new partner.

" **Thanks for the save…"** she told him, not taking her eyes off of their opponents, eyeballing the poison dual-type and trying to gauge the number of hits it would take before it fainted…

Mewtwo said nothing, sparing a glance to their trainer from over his own bony shoulder before focusing back on the issue at hand.

" **We are fighting together?"**

" **Yep. It's called a double battle. Two vs. Two, the little human's request."**

" **And our opponents?"**

" **Nidoking, Giovanni has one. Poison/Ground-type; weak to psychic, water, ground, and ice. You've got at least two covered, I've got one."**

" **Right… And the…"**

" **Arcanine… I think? It's a fire-type, fast but not particularly so… I've been able to score a few good hits, but its been holding up pretty good. Weak to water, ground…"**

" **And you?"**

" **Well, more specifically rock-** _ **types**_ **, but yes."**

" **And the plan?"**

" **What plan?"** she questioned, looking at him as if he were speaking another language entirely before giving a sly smirk and darting out of an oncoming attack.

Impatient bunch, weren't they?

" **You** _ **don't**_ **have a plan?"**

" **Beat pokémon. What else is there to do? I thought you did this before!"** She said in response, darting for cover behind a particularly thick boulder as fire lit up the world around her. She counted a few seconds, watching as the blaze died down before using an Iron Tail to get her back into the air.

She landed on the overhanging rafter, darting along the steel beams until she was directly over Mewtwo, firing off the occasional Trump Card and Power Gem attacks to cover the psychic-type as he charged an Aura Sphere.

He fired the attack at the fire-type, sending it flying in the opposite direction and into a wall, before his eyes lit up with a powerful Psychic for the poison-type still bothering her up above.

It noticed the attack, attempting to charge at Mewtwo before he could properly utilize the move, but was stopped short as she jumped from her perch, landing with a heavy thud and an already prepared Earthquake.

The ground erupted underneath the giant reptile, throwing way off balance and allowing Mewtwo to pick it up and toss it into the same wall he'd thrown the arcanine at originally.

The two pokémon crashed into each other, dual groan of pain heard in the distance as they carefully themselves out from the pile of the debris their respective landings had created in the wall.

Giovanni would not be pleased about the craters, but damage to the infrastructure during a gym battle was more or less inevitable, and they couldn't always keep the walls intact when facing skilled opponents.

" **Giovanni needs to have a reality check…"**

" **Take that back!"**

" **And you do too…"** she huffed, rolling her eyes even as she charged up another Power Gem, firing into the smoke and hitting both pokémon before they were really ready for the attack.

The two groaned, at their wits end with the sudden assault. Off to the side, their trainer looked in awe of the two, body visibly tense as he held up a familiar red device, attempting to scan pokémon that technically didn't exist outside of this gym.

It wouldn't be able to tell the boy anything useful, beyond the fact that they were foreign and as such, it did not have anything on them to give the boy.

" _What even_ are _these pokémon?"_ she heard the boy mumble, gritting his teeth as he shoved the useless device back into his pocket. _"Fine! Nidoking, pull it together! Use Magnitude!"_

A risky move that wouldn't be very likely to work, but she honestly couldn't blame him for trying.

Magnitude was a move that had a random chance of either being very devastating or completely ineffective.

What hit her however, was _not_ the ineffective one.

" **AGH!"** She yelped, rocks jutting out of the ground and hitting her square in the stomach. She flew, bouncing across the ground before she finally came to a skidding, painful halt.

" _Yes! Level 10!"_ she groaned, cursing whatever bad luck she'd had to have _that_ one be the one time the move actually hit its maximum power.

" **Ashe!"** She winced, surprisingly tender from the heavy hit as Mewtwo teleported to her side. He prodded at the wound a little, and even tilted his head as he tried to look in her eyes. She was too caught up in the pain to meet them though, groaning against as an aching muscle screamed in protest of any movement she might've wanted to make.

" _Ashe! Stand up!"_

But she didn't _want_ to stand. Everything hurt, and she wanted to go back into her pokéball so she could rest. Was that too much to ask?

" _Ashe!"_

She winced, and possibly growled a little. And somewhere passed that stubborn haze of pain currently clouding up her thoughts, Mewtwo begged her to stay down, to _rest_.

 _Big Brother?_

 _It hurts…_

 _You need to rest…_

 _ **Why won't you rest?**_

And now was _not_ the time to be hearing random voices and seeing things.

Or at least, not when there was another Flamethrower and Focus Blast speeding towards them, and their trainer in the background insisting she get back up and fight properly.

She _had_ been fighting properly, her loyalty to Giovanni aside. She'd just gotten hit really hard, and it had _hurt._

Mewtwo teleported her to the relative safety of another large boulder. Body tucked in close to the familiar surface, she counted back from ten…

 _Five…_

 _Four…_

 _Three…_

 _Ready or not here I come-_

 _# $! Be careful!-_

 _Big Brother-_

 _This is #$%..._

' _Really bad timing head.'_ She groaned, forcing herself to her feet to peek around the rather solid surface. Giovanni could still see her from where he stood, but to the challenging trainer, she was mostly invisible, and while the other pokémon knew better than to assume that she was no longer a problem. They'd largely begun to focus their attacks on Mewtwo.

And it made sense… from a tactical perspective. There was already a wounded opponent, who would presumably be easy pickings, but to do so, they needed to first get passed the healthy one, who clearly had more than enough strength to compensate for the wounded's lack of mobility.

She understood the tactic, and had even used it herself a couple of times already in this battle alone. And yet… she didn't _like_ when people ganged up on Mewtwo.

She wouldn't have been able to tell anyone exactly why she felt that way. But then she'd also never claimed to be able to fully understand herself. There were just too many facets to her personality, too many unknown variables that, without a clearly defined origin, caused her to behave a certain way, rather than how she was expected to.

Still, in the midst of a battle, psychology would do her little good. Mewtwo was doing a fine job juggling the two pokémon, and their attacks were having little to no effect at all due to a constant failure to reach him.

But Mewtwo wasn't perfect, no one was. And even he could make a mistake that could cost him quite a lot.

She jumped, purposely kicking a rock clear across the field to distract their opponents, before releasing a horrendous screech at the two pokémon.

' _Oh… I guess I learned a new move… This probably wasn't in the schematics… Oh well.'_ She pondered, taking the small window she'd just given herself to charge straight into the off-kilter fire-type's side.

They hit the ground rolling, paws in the air and whimpering as they rebounded off of something surprisingly sharp and very solid.

Just as the arcanine righted itself she fired a Trump Card, followed by a Rock Slide when the attack hit several boulders surrounding the fire-type and almost burying it alive. She sighed, taking a moment to breathe and relax while she still could, before jumping back into the fray between that stubborn nidoking and Mewtwo.

" **Mewtwo, what's taking so long! You're a psychic-type! Psychic the thing into submission already!"**

" **I did…"** Mewtwo grumbled as he dodged what might've been a Mega Punch, the earth splintering under the pressure before it quickly dislodged its fist and chased after the elusive clone. **"He got back up!"**

" _Nidoking, use Take Down!"_ There was a moment, brief and silent where she wondered how that was going to work when this giant purple lizard couldn't even hit Mewtwo.

Her question was answered rather unexpectedly when that giant purple beast came barreling into _her_ instead.

She hit the ground a lot harder than she probably should've from such an ineffective attack, rolling across the ground and bouncing off yet another large rock before landing in a dazed and helpless heap on the ground below.

She could feel the air, vibrating with the remains of her little trip across the battlefield, and could even register the feel as dust and dirt particles skittered through the air, disturbed from their resting place by her flailing body.

There was a warm, wet feeling spreading out along her side, and she had to wonder when she'd gotten cut…

' _Oh yeah… The rock…'_ she thought dazedly, head tilting up to look at the seemingly innocuous object. _'Why were those installed again?'_

" **You!"**

" _What the-!"_

She almost didn't notice when Mewtwo made the world go completely white, and the terrified screams of the challenging trainer hit her ears.

* * *

" _She's not needed anymore, Giovanni says-…"_

" _It was only one battle!"_

" _Yes-…"_

" _Arceus, help us all-…"_

 _Mommy-_

 _Brown hair like chocolate…_

 _Gentle eyes, gentle hands…_

" _We're losing-…"_

" _Giovanni says either make her stronger or-…"_

" _He has no use for such a weak thing…"_

 _! #!-_

 _Black hair, eyes like…_

 _RedredredRedRED…_

" _Hey… can you hear me? Hang in there, alright?"_

 _Gentle hands petting her head and telling her everything would be okay…_

 _ **H**_ _ **a**_ _n_ g i _n_ **t** **h** _er_ **e, a** _ **l**_ _r_ igh _ **t?**_

* * *

A/N. I'm a right bitch, ain't I? Finally update after several days, come up with something that could be used in a horror movie (maybe), and then leave you with a cliff hanger. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading!

Again, if you want to see what Orreon looks like now, go to , and search for Pokepikas-Haunt. Orreon (New) is the picture you want to check out.

And also, I will repeat; I'm looking for OCs to replace the characters used in the movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back".

There are four empty slots, and a guide for submissions will be on my bio before this chapter goes up. This guide can also be used for any future stories I may or may not create featuring a heavy use of OCs…

 **BIG RULE: No Legendary Pokémon for this one! Other than that, there are no limits on what pokémon you can pick. Fairy-types are acceptable as well.**

Speaking of OC centric stories, one _**might**_ be coming up soon… Anyways, please leave a review and see ya!


	4. Prelude to Destruction

A/N. Are we at betrayal yet? Don't know, haven't written anything beyond this. :-P

In regards to OCs, currently three are being taken up of the four spots. This number _can_ change though, so make sure to check with me if you want to submit one.

Anyway… Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 03: Prelude to Destruction...**

* * *

" **Welcome back…"** It'd been a hollow sentiment from a pokémon even less sincere than a rock. But it had meant the entire world in those first few minutes within the gym.

Giovanni had been less than kind of course; barking at the humans that had brought her in for wasting time, and only giving her a cursory, dismissive glance.

She hadn't lost that battle seven months ago; knocked a little silly yes, and more than a little sore afterwards, but she'd been capable of fighting if she'd _really_ had to. Giovanni hadn't cared though, and had decided that, ultimately, she was too weak to be of any use to him.

And if she couldn't be of use, than she wasn't needed around anymore.

The scientists who'd originally created her, or rather, whatever was left of the original team of about ten very capable men and women had been hesitant to comply though.

It was a waste of money and effort after all, and they'd put so much time into her creation, even as rushed as it'd apparently been.

So their leader had given them an ultimatum; either make her stronger, or kill her.

There would be no ifs, ands, or buts, and he'd probably have anyone who dared to object with his decisions killed as well.

And nobody had had the gall to try. So making her better it'd been. And as the youngest member had pointed out amidst the fighting of the elders, scratching her behind the ear and promising silently that he wouldn't just sit idle and allow Giovanni to snuff her out, all it'd been that was holding them back was a number.

A trivial, largely meaningless measurement that part of their team had already bypassed. And if _they_ had been able to, even at the cost of their own lives, who had been to say that it couldn't replicated.

As he'd so kindly put it; _"Giovanni wants a stronger pokémon… Well then, fine. We'll give him a strong pokémon."_

There'd been arguments, and more than enough objections. But he'd won in the end, and they'd tried. More than tried, they had succeeded. Though… they hadn't been able to mimic it exactly. Mewtwo had been cloned from the fossilized DNA of a legendary pokémon, and Ashe had been created from something that _might_ have been human at one point, but was, at its roots a genetic misfit of an eevee.

Mewtwo would always be the stronger of the two, but they had given her more power. If nothing else, she'd be grateful to the young man for that much.

He _had_ saved her life.

Now though, she was staring at the wall of an empty cage, the familiar and somewhat missed presence of a certain feline at her side, and possibly the most confused expression she'd had to date marring her features.

" **Where is…"**

" **Mewtwo? In a battle right now. Giovanni got challenged again… Word is spreading that** _ **this**_ **is the gym to visit if you want a good battle. No one has bothered to mention the risks that come with it…"**

" **The boy from that one challenge?"**

" **Don't know. Giovanni left him unconscious, so it was probably whoever found him… If anyone at all. He could've crawled out on his own if he had to…"**

" **But he'd been too hurt?"**

" **Exactly. You'd think someone would remember to mention that…"**

" _Hey! You two, Boss wants to see ya_ _ **now**_ _!"_ the faint voice of what had to be a new recruit cut their conversation short, but that was okay for her. She hadn't had much else to add to the conversation.

There hadn't been any bodies when Giovanni had finally sent a grunt to either dispose of the boy or… controversially, place him in a hospital. He'd seen Mewtwo after all, and the risks of letting the boy live to tell the tale had probably far outweighed any benefits that might've arose should they have let him live.

He was gone though, more than gone seven months later, and with how _big_ the world as a whole could be, she doubted he'd ever be found. And if he did he would've gotten stronger.

People like that didn't nearly get killed and just sit idly by afterwards. They got stronger so they wouldn't ever have to face that kind of danger again unprepared. Trauma, however, was a lot harder to overcome, and if they ever _did_ cross paths and Mewtwo just happened to be there, all that training would probably be for naught.

Fear existed for a reason…

" _Hmm… They_ promised _me that they'd make you stronger, but frankly I don't see the difference."_ Somewhere in the interlude her own thoughts had offered her, they'd both arrived in Giovanni's office.

The place just as spartanly decorated as she'd remembered, with not an ounce of personality in it, beyond a shadowed picture of the woman that had created Team Rocket originally, and what had apparently been her star and most trusted agent.

That woman, was apparently Giovanni's mother, but she'd vanished several years ago without a hint as to where she might've gone; leaving an entire organization to her at the time heavily rebellious son. The other woman in the picture had disappeared even earlier though, pursuing the same legendary pokémon that Mewtwo had been created from and vanishing in the mountains, leaving a daughter who'd apparently grown into her mother's shoes, if only less capable due to the associations she loyally kept. The woman still sent messages though, stubbornly tracking a pokémon that had both eluded and taunted her for years, with little inclination of giving up ever.

There were filing cabinets, filled with information about agents that was too precious to be kept in a computer, as well as important missions, other organizations, and even a few key projects still in their early planning stages.

The desk was still there, though it seemed to have been replaced by something less… clawed at, to put it lightly. Persian _did_ have a bad habit of using his old one as a scratch post when their trainer hadn't been looking.

But it was all cursory and meaningless when the whole reason for her physically being there at that moment, instead of somewhere quiet resting, was staring her down with what had to be the most unimpressed look to have ever crossed the man's face.

" **You told them stronger, not different looking."** Persian snorted slightly from somewhere behind her, she was sure, but the normal-type had become rather good at hiding such things, and it came across as an unexpected sneeze rather than what it actually had been.

" **Brat! Be happy that he can't understand us, otherwise that might very well have been your head!"** he barked at her, body trembling minutely due to his own constrained laughter.

" **Hmph, he's a human! What can he** _ **do**_ **?! He's too squishy, they all are."** She'd bit back with a rather sardonic smirk.

Behind his desk, legs crossed and looking rather derisive at the two, she could see now why Persian had always been so sarcastic when in the presence of their trainer. By sheer fact alone, she'd kept herself from saying anything to rude on principle of course. He was human and as a direct result could not understand them when they spoke, after all, and it had felt like they were talking behind his back.

 _Now_ though, she could say that he deserved it to some degree.

If the cat had ever been right about one thing, it was that while their trainer, Giovanni was not a kind man, and never would be. If they picked up a few of his habits, than who could blame them?

Pokémon were known to reflect their humans after all.

And Giovanni _was_ really too squishy to do anything to stop either of them.

" _Persian, come along… You too…_ Ashe _."_ And she growled under her breathe at that, at the sheer and very apparent disgust Giovanni had spat her name out in.

So what if she didn't answer to her species name like he'd originally wanted? He had no right to treat her like that. She'd fought for him, even when she'd felt like she was too tired to really keep doing so. She'd spilt her own blood, cried tears at night, done everything she could to make him happy.

And he had the audacity to treat her like that?

' _Oh… of course he does… He's my trainer, he can do_ whatever _he wants. Bastard!'_ she slunk off after him, head bowed low as she glared at his feet. She wasn't being subtle she knew, but Persian was doing the same, if only because they both knew what was coming next, and he wasn't in the mood for a battle.

" **You're already the more powerful between the two of us… Why in the world is he making me fight** _ **you?**_ **"**

" **Because, aside from Mewtwo, and myself, you are his strongest pokémon. And who better than you to test me and see if the scientists did what they promised him they would…"**

" **Of course… Because** _ **I'm**_ **the strongest…"** They both paused, eying each other as if they'd both grown extra limbs suddenly and without warning, allowing for Giovanni to leave them behind in silence.

"… **Did…"**

" **Uh…"**

" **Did you just…** _ **admit**_ **you weren't the strongest pokémon Giovanni had?"** she questioned, a shit-eating grin worming its way onto her face as she eyed the other. Persian grimaced, immediately recognizing what would ensue, as she leapt ahead to catch up with their trainer.

" **You aren't going to let me live this down… are you?"**

" **Oh I'm sure that one Meowth will eat this up if I tell him!"** she'd called back slowing back to a walk as they both resumed following Giovanni.

She caught him frowning at the mention of his own pre-evolution however, knowing _exactly_ which one she was talking about without her actually having to say. They both knew of the little cat pokémon Giovanni had taken in before Persian had crossed his path, the talking outcast that could speak just like the humans.

Giovanni had been the poor things world after all the bad luck it had had, and then to be tossed aside when Persian came along, and left in the hands of a two-bit team that, while stubborn, refused to take the time to get better. They expected to succeed when the pokémon they had were _weak_ , and that pulled them all down as a result.

Persian might not have shown it either, very often, but she knew he felt guilty for knocking the cat pokémon off of his perch. Giovanni had been all he had had at the time, and then to just be cast aside…

" **You know… if he'd just get stronger… I wouldn't have minded sharing…"** And that was part of the problem overall, wasn't it?

That silly little creature couldn't get stronger, because of the debilitations it'd suffered through to find acceptance, and its own inability to train. That meowth had gotten to a point where he saw himself as more human than pokémon, and while he _could_ fight, he didn't have the power to win and back it up. Cleverness could only get you so far after all. And if Giovanni had just taken him out of that team for a few weeks, maybe even months, and _trained_ him. He'd probably be back in his good graces again.

But that wouldn't ever happen. That team as a whole getting better would never happen, because Giovanni didn't want to waste the resources it would take to give them a proper leg up.

" **Regrets can wait… We've got a battle to get started…"** She'd said finally, darting over to her own end of the field as Persian took his own.

She was sure that he didn't know what to expect, and Giovanni expected her to lose ever since her near defeat to the trainer from Pallet Town…

She'd show their trainer though, that one loss did not make a pokémon weak.

* * *

He hadn't seen Ashe in months now, time slowing down without her energetic presence to make it go that little bit faster. And Giovanni had only become more and more intolerable as time went on.

He'd never liked the human to begin with, so it'd been no great loss on his part, but the human that had already been incredibly dislikeable seemed to be making every effort possible to make sure everyone outright hated him.

 _Today_ though, he'd promised some sort of surprise. As if gifts would place the human back in his good graces.

And it probably would do him no good anyways. The human couldn't be trusted, plain and simple, and Ashe had seemed entirely oblivious to the little fact, _he_ had been very aware; greedy, overly ambitious, corrupt, and uncaring. He was a selfish, foul creature, and he knew it.

He might not have been the source of an infection, but he certainly represented it well enough. Proof, that humans couldn't be trusted.

" _You've been in such a foul mood as of late, I thought a surprise would make you feel better…"_ There was something horrendously condescending about the human's tone, and it made him want to crush the human for his sheer audacity. But he'd be patient none the less. Ashe still hadn't come back, and the only way he'd know the other's location is if he kept the human alive.

Giovanni could keep his secrets all her wanted, but _that_ was one he wouldn't let slide. Once he'd gotten what he needed he'd leave and take Ashe with him…

' _No…'_ Ashe was down there, facing off against one of Giovanni's most skilled pokémon. _'That damn conniving…'_ The battle had started yet, but it probably would soon.

Giovanni was not known for his never-ending patience after all. But his friend had finally returned. Was this the surprise or… No, he knew what the human was doing. Trying to put him in what the human must've seen as his place, he'd shown him that Ashe was back and already participating in battles.

He wanted to show him that Ashe was not just his friend but also _his_ pokémon. A tool, and she'd die before he just let them both waltz out of this building…

' _He must have a death wish…'_

* * *

" _Begin!"_

" **Well you heard the man!"** And the familiarity of her own attack hit her, brilliant gems a shade of vivid purple headed straight at her. The attack pelted against the ground for a bit, the sound deafening as she darted back a ways, before weaving between the large gems.

She leapt through the smoke, spinning into the air and the leaving the cloud of dust and debris to settle behind her.

" **Let me show you how it's done!"** she barked out, the gem on her forehead glowing as she sent the same attack back at the normal-type. Far more powerful due to both a difference in strength as well as the boost that usually came when one an attack of the same typing as one's self, the damage was far more volatile, faster and unlike the cat's own, she hadn't missed.

He yelped in pain, one catching his leg while another dug into his shoulder, before he managed to leap away from the onslaught. The damage was already done however, and she couldn't have been more pleased as she pressed the attack with little hesitation.

They traded blows, a Slash attack countered by an Iron Tail, as a weak Trump Card was deflected by a signature Pay Day that had been left over from when he'd still been a meowth.

' _He's gonna better, for such a lazy cat!'_ she thought, leaping over an Iron Tail of her opponent's own and rolling under the Slash attack that had followed. She dug into the ground, avoiding the Hyper Beam he'd fired at almost point blank range, and came out with a Rock Climb that had sent the cat spinning in the air with an additional momentum that had have made for a painful landing as he bounced and skidded across the ground.

" **Yowza… What hit me? A snorlax?!"** the other questioned, dazed as he picked himself off the ground and stumbled slightly to the side before righting himself.

" **No,"** she'd chirped in response, darting in close with a Quick Attack before slapping him aside with another Iron Tail. **"Just me!"**

" **Gah!"** the cat cried, skidding across the ground and just barely catching himself as he righted himself midflight. **"Okay Kid, you're asking for it! Take this!"** A dark wave of energy shot out from the gem on the cat's own forehead, reverberating across the ground and speeding towards her at a frightening speed.

" **Not happening!"** She said, digging under the first wave, and coming up just as the one he'd sent underground came shooting at her. She tucked into a Rollout, allowing gravity to once again assist her as she smashed into the helpless normal-type, before bouncing off and firing a Power Gem and Dazzling Gleam attack.

The ground erupted, the shockwave that came from the two attacks sending her into the air and spinning back towards the ground. She landed on her feet though, form hunched and hackles raised as she waited for the smoke to clear.

The debris settled eventually, and reveal an unconscious persian, the pokémon out like a light and not getting up anytime soon without help.

Somewhere above them both, Giovanni probably looked very pleased with himself, but down here, looking at the fallen pokémon, she had to wonder just why she needed to be this strong to live.

It was… reassuring in a way… to not have to fear losing a battle because you were just _that_ powerful, but at the same time, how could someone not grow to fear what they were capable of.

Persian hadn't even stood a chance for all his experience, and all she'd done was bat him around. He hadn't scored a lasting hit on her that entire fight.

Was all of it really so worth it?

" **Persian… are… are you okay?"** She questioned, tentative as she approached the downed normal-type. He groaned in response, body shifting in clear pain, before he finally managed to summon the strength to lift his head.

" **Good Kid… In pain, a little dizzy… okay, actually scratch that. More than a little dizzy, but good…"** he groaned, grinning rather cattily at her from his position on the ground. **"Oh, don't give me that look. You finally managed to make me eat dirt like you promised all those years ago… Be proud."** He commented then, batting her lightly on the head as their trainer finally deigned to join them on the ground below.

" _Very good. I am pleased with your progress… Already you show that those idiots are capable… Persian though… clearly needs more training…"_ the praise felt hollow, and no longer brought her the joy it used to as she eyed her trainer with worry. Would he do the same to Persian that he'd done to her? Or not?

She didn't know how she felt about that. Her and Persian hadn't ever been particularly close, but before Mewtwo had come along, he'd made for a rather good confidant.

" **Welp, he ain't pleased…"** the cat grumbled, still looking very dizzy. She glared minutely at the human, for a few split seconds before something else caught her eyes.

Mewtwo stood back, looking for all intense and purposes as if he wished to be anywhere else. He glared at Giovanni too, eyes narrow and anger pouring off the creature in waves.

" _What do you think, hm?"_

For a beat, Mewtwo didn't answer, and she wondered if she'd have to fend off an angry attack from an overpowered clone. Her fears were unwarranted though, as her friend simply huffed and turned away, eying her for a few split seconds and leaving.

" _ **What does it matter to me?"**_ he questioned dismissively. But before he disappeared into the hall… _"Meet me at the cage…"_

She nodded, sitting down and waiting for any further orders Giovanni might've had…

' _I have a feeling… a very bad feeling that something is going to happen…'_

* * *

A/N. Short chapter is short, but that's okay… Next chapter big things happen! For an idea of how strong she's become, check out my deviantart page. The redone picture should have her new stats Post-battle with Gary, as well as the old one's pre-battle.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


	5. Betrayal

A/N. As a heads-up! Anyone who wishes to submit an OC should do so soon! The chapter introducing them are coming up so be quick; there is one spot still left over!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 04: Betrayal**

* * *

" _ **Giovanni cannot be trusted…"**_

" _ **Mmhmm…"**_

" _ **That man is as evil and vile as the rest of them…"**_

" _ **Yeah… sure…"**_

" _ **No good can come from associating with creatures such as them…"**_

" _ **Mewtwo?"**_

" _ **It is nothing…"**_

* * *

Nothing her furry ass! If she'd known what her best friend had been planning in that little skull of his she would've made damn sure to knock some sense into that psychic scatter-brained head. As things stood however, it was _far_ too late for would-be's and had-been's. She'd have to beat the sense back into that empty skull later.

Right _now_ , she had to potentially save his purple-tailed ass from his own mistakes.

Or rather, from Giovanni who was just as liable to kill Mewtwo as he was to strike a one-sided deal that only _he_ benefitted from without completely explaining the details. Giovanni wouldn't play fair in a battle like this after all, and Mewtwo was still wearing the armor that was just as liable to help as it was to hinder. No one was still quite sure what it was supposed to do after all. And while the humans who ran the facility as a whole swore that it bolstered their powers, they had never been known for their complete and unwavering honesty.

It was just as likely to be a mind-control device.

And last she had checked, Mewtwo still didn't know how to remove the chunks of carefully crafted metal from his own personage.

" **Mewtwo! You are an idiot!"** she'd scream till the miltank came home if she must, regardless of whether or not her friend actually heard her, and it probably wouldn't help her situation at all. But it certainly made her _feel_ better and that might as well account for something.

As things stood though, she was racing against an unseen clock and time was currently _not_ on her side. Mewtwo was somewhere on the opposite side of the building, with only Arceus _knew_ how many grunts and one Giovanni which was an issue all in himself.

And between herself and her friend was an increasing number of obstacles ranging from fallen support beams and steel rafters that _really_ probably should've been made out of something not-so-prone-to-breaking to this Arceus-forsaken _fire_.

Why did fire exist again?

" **When I get my hands on that clone…"**

" **You're not going to do anything…"** She'd only _just_ managed to skid to a stop at that point, and at the speeds she'd been going the most recent addition to her growing list of very apparent problems had been lucky she hadn't just bowled him over.

If only he weren't so much _bigger_ than she was.

" **And here I was thinking you were smarter than this."** But bigger didn't mean stronger, that was still her in this situation. And they both knew she'd come out the victor.

" **Smart enough… While the humans all floundered to contain Mewtwo's rebellion, they forgot the other factor…"**

" **And what is this other factor?"**

" **You know, you two are very… close…"** She didn't like the tone and implications that sentence held for her, but did it really matter. Close as they might've been, it'd still been a rather business-like relationship… They hadn't been friends, and so his thoughts of her had meant very little in the end.

But Mewtwo was an entirely different story.

While they hadn't been close or even gotten off to the best of starts, there'd been an understanding there that had been lacking between herself and any other pokémon that answered directly to Giovanni. Eventually they had just clicked, and working together had become increasingly _easy_. So unlike the others, where she'd had to fight fang and claw to fit in with their already close-knit group.

And now Mewtwo was being a complete idiot! More than an idiot, actually, and risking everything… And for what? A human he'd never gotten along with or particularly cared for in the beginning, just so he could knock his over-inflated ego down a few pegs? Mewtwo may have been strong, but he wasn't invincible.

" **Look, we both know how exactly this going to end… So just move…"**

" **And why in the world would I want to do that? I let you go, you'll just turn on Giovanni!"**

"…"

" **Now how about** _ **you**_ **be good. Turn around, pick a nice comfy cage to sleep in for a bit and leave Mewtwo to the humans."** What were the chances of her knocking out Persian in this very instant?

' _High, but not high enough. He's slower than me, and weaker over all, but he's sly and not easy to hit…'_ She could take him, she was fully aware of that, and come out on top. But that would waste precious time.

Hell, even right now, deliberating her next actions in the midst of a stare down with a cat that almost beat his own master in regards to egos was wasting time she needed to close the distance between herself and the battle she knew was still going on somewhere farther down those dilapidated walls.

" **Fine… I'll go back…"** she consented, slowly backing up as Persian followed along behind her. She knew the cat was suspicious, but she _was_ being compliant and he liked compliance.

Shame he wasn't nearly suspicious enough.

" **Huh?!"** the wall groaned tellingly then, the metal surface warping in a way that told of an increasing amount of weight being pressed on it. It wouldn't hold for long, but she didn't want it to… In fact…

" **Sorry Persian, I lied."** She apologized, easily turning on the normal-type, her paw catching him in the face and sending his little whiskered cheeks rather bodily into the wall. It concaved, collapsing in on itself even as the cat screeched in outrage.

He sturdy though, and while that would've easily killed a human, at worst, it would've knocked out a pokémon. Which meant she'd only have a few scant seconds before the cat managed to gather enough of his wits to chase after her.

All the time she needed to get to Mewtwo…

* * *

" **Mewtwo!"**

" **Ashe?"** She'd leapt into what must've been a six-way brawl, but she really could've have been blamed considering what had been in her way to begin with. She'd had Persian's persistent ass on her own tail and a ridiculous amount of rubble to clamber over or even bust through if she'd really felt like increasing the already steadily growing headache she'd been nursing since this whole mess had started.

" **Mewtwo I swear to Arceus himself! If you don't have a good fucking reason for this mess I will hang you myself!"** And she felt quite vindicated in that regard, because between this, the fires, and Persian she wasn't in the best of moods and _someone_ was going to pay for that.

" **Ashe… Giovanni cannot be trusted…"**

" **Mewtwo, you knew that already! Why** _ **now**_ **?!"**

He wasn't going to _tell_ her. Of course he wasn't going to tell her. He was a complete ass like that, unrelentingly stubborn and with an ego to match. He'd been given so much power at birth that he'd thought he could do whatever he wanted whenever he pleased.

Maybe he could, but this was one time she didn't need him acting out.

" **Mewtwo… there are pokémon still in the facility,** _ **trapped**_ **in their cages. And you're bringing the building down on our** _ **heads**_ **!"** Did he not understand what he was doing? Clearly he didn't, because as big of an idiot as he typically was, he normally didn't involve innocents in his temper tantrums.

" **Ashe… Giovanni was going to have you killed… He's been** _ **controlling**_ **me…"**

Obviously that bothered the clone more than she'd thought it should. Or maybe it wasn't that it bothered him more, but that she wasn't bothered at all. She'd known from the very beginning after all, just how fickle Giovanni's nature could be. He'd have had her terminated the very instant she'd shown an ounce of rebellion beyond what he had determined as normal. And she'd learned to live with that fact; that her own life dangled on the whimsical threads of a human who changed his mind as often as one might change clothes.

It would've been far too easy for him to get rid of her after all.

" _And you think she didn't know that? You're fooling yourself, Mewtwo. You serve me, just as she has done for several years now. Just as she will continue to do for years to come! She is a tool!"_ Somewhere amidst the smoke and beyond the rubble was Giovanni, all mocking tones and a foul mood because one of his tools had had the gall to oppose him. Everything that screamed that he was a man, a trainer, who could _not_ be trusted outside of battle, and even then, only tentatively.

And she'd known that for a long time. After all, he was her trainer; the man who'd made her stronger, even if it was to further his own selfish ambitions… She was supposed to be loyal to him…

But since when had he done anything for her to be loyal for?

He'd made her stronger through training and painful experiments that he hadn't given her a choice for. Had robbed who knew how many people of their lives just so he could have more power.

But Mewtwo was her friend, and he'd done nothing that would ever warrant her suspicion of him…

" _Now, surpress Mewtwo! Use Power Gem!"_

* * *

 _Hey, what's more important?_

 _! #!-_

 _Family?-_

 _$# !_

 _Big Brother Mama…-_

 _It hurts it hurts ithurtsithurtsithurts-_

 _Or friends?_

 _Burning fires-_

 _$#!-_

 _ **Both**_

Remind her again why she was hesitating?

* * *

" **Master!"**

" **Sorry Giovanni, looks I'm not your weapon anymore."** For some odd reason, she found that utterly betrayed expression decorating Giovanni's face to be _far_ more satisfying than any look she'd gotten out of an opponent before.

Why hadn't she done this sooner?

* * *

" _Three weeks ago Viridian City's Gym; home of the Earth Badge, and said to be the hardest gym to beat within the Kanto Region, went up in flames spontaneously and without warning. Authorities are still looking into the matter but so far clues as to the cause of the accident have been scarce. No one outside the building was injured, and while it has yet to be determined just how many people were in the facility at the time, no bodies have been found…_

If she'd known they were going to hit major headlines, she would've remembered to tell Mewtwo to keep his overly dramatic exit more contained than it had been. As things were, the human's news networks were playing a constant loop of the flaming remains that _had_ been a rather expensive and impressive looking gym, with a droning that could've put a vigoroth to sleep.

It _did_ help though, managing to keep her in the loop when it came to what the human authorities were finding and whether or not she'd need to be concerned for her and Mewtwo's safety.

So far none of the grunts had been seen, but while Mewtwo plotted and schemed, she'd been left with little else to do but gather information while he found them both a suitable hideout.

Unfortunately the explosion, however grand it had probably seemed, wouldn't have been enough to kill off the pest. And Team Rocket as a whole was far too widespread and deeply rooted into most of the regions for either of them to be scot free. Two of his most powerful tools had just escaped after all, turned on him and bit that metaphorical hand that had fed them nothinbut while Mewtwo plotted and schemed, she'd been left with little else to do but gather information while he found them both a suitable hideout.

Unfortunately the explosion, however grand it had probably seemed, wouldn't have been enough to kill off the pest. And Team Rocket as a whole was far too widespread and deeply rooted into most of the regions for either of them to be scot free. Two of his most powerful tools had just escaped after all, turned on him and bit that metaphorical hand that had fed them nothing but lies.

If he'd let them go just like that, it would've been _far_ too easy. Even if it would've been better for the man's overall health.

Mewtwo had been even more paranoid then her though, and while it would've been helpful for her to be "in the field" and indirectly spying, he hadn't wanted to risk her getting caught by any stray grunts still lingering in the nearby cities. Not to mention overexuberant trainers who'd jump at the chance to catch a rare, never before seen pokémon.

There'd been a fight, and while Mewtwo was better in every way combat wise, she was still the more clever of the two, and combined with her own special brand of stubbornness, had eventually forced the other into a rough compromise of sorts. Between the two of them, she'd remembered the majority of the rocket agents that were active in Kanto. And Giovanni wouldn't be moving them around after such an attention-drawing incident. The authorities would already be looking for the man, and as he picked up the pieces of his operations, he wouldn't _have_ the time to gather his forces and mobilize them efficiently.

They wouldn't know to look for her specifically until their leader recovered completely from the ordeal, and even then, they knew better than to cause a giant scene. If the authorities dug too deeply into the ruins they were sure to find _something_ that would implicate both the gym and its currently deposed leader in regards to Team Rocket. Too many important files had been kept in the man's office and with no time to salvage or burn any of it, there was sure to be an incriminating file or two that had survived the relentless blaze.

They'd be looking for the man for a whole new reason then, and it would leave Giovanni's hands tied for some time to come.

And the left her quite a lot of room to move amidst the public. And with the right accessories, she'd be virtually untouchable without even having to really try.

Not all eeveelutions, foreign or otherwise were kept in their pokéballs constantly after all, and on more than one mission when she'd been left in the care of a more trusted agent, they'd strapped a decorative collar around her neck and she'd instantly been an exotic pet for whoever was playing undercover whatever-we're-supposed-to-be at the time. Even without a human escort, trainers wouldn't try to capture her if there was something that might give them an inclination that she was already owned.

Sometimes that useless need for fashionable accessories could be very telling, even when it was being an almost painful level subtle.

And so there she sat, in the middle of some horrendously busy street somewhere in the midst of an equally bad rush hour surrounded on all sides by humans of varying ages, sizes, and shapes, and staring at the fifteen different TV screens all broadcasting a different channel with the same story.

Occasionally a small child who didn't know any better would come up and pet her, but considering what she was supposed to be, she couldn't really blame them. To small children, she was something unique that they didn't get to see often, and a potential new playmate if she were up to it. And to begin with, there were few pokémon in the world that would attack a child of any age, regardless of who was accompanying them.

" **This is all your fault…"** ignoring the shows of affection though, she was more concerned with cursing her friend in the whole two languages she knew the humans spoke rather commonly, and then a few pokémon dialects that made for some very creative names.

Did he _really_ have to be so destructive?

" _Mommy! Look!"_ Well, there was nothing new to learn at the moment, even after three weeks so she could entertain a few children.

Besides, Mewtwo could allow her _this_ much. So she cooed and put on her best cute face as the little toddling brat all but clambered over to her, making their own baby noises at her and petting her.

" _Oh, Shelly… Well, at least you're nice, aren't you? And such a beautiful coat!"_ what must've been the mother praised, scratching her behind the ear and fingering her collar to see if maybe she'd been lost. She wasn't, but the human didn't need to know that, and it certainly wasn't any of her concern.

If she really needed to, she could probably talk Mewtwo into brainwashing them a little to see if she could get more information from _that_. She wasn't likely to, even still, but it was a possibility she'd need to keep in mind.

" _As many already know; three weeks ago, the Viridian City Pokémon Gym, home to the esteemed Earth Badge, and known to be one of the most difficult gyms to beat, went up in flames! Authorities are still looking into the cause, but signs and evidence show that it may have been was a pokémon in a nature, potentially angered and definitely powerful. Witnesses report seeing what looked like a shooting star fly out of the smoke just seconds after the explosion that brought the building down with an as-of-yet determined number of humans and pokémon still trapped within. It_ is _believed however, that the gym leader and any pokémon that were inside did manage to escape… More as information comes in…"_

" _Oh dear… How frightening! And so close too, Shelly, we best get home."_

" _But Mommy!"_

" _I know sweetie but maybe your new friend will be here tomorrow."_ The mother paused to give her one last pet, and the child even gave her a rather big hug before the two left, expensive heels clacking against the ground as the child stumbled after.

"…" She'd cooed her good-byes to the disappearing pair, watching the space they'd occupied as the crowd had moved in, before she decided to focus back onto the TV screen. _'So Giovanni has survived…'_

She'd need to inform Mewtwo of this, but it probably wouldn't stop the pokémon. He was planning something after all, she could tell, and it'd only be a matter of time before she figured out what…

* * *

These three… He'd finally managed to bring these three back. If he could just recreate _her…_ but that child was a lost cause, his family would never be complete…

It didn't matter though. He'd make sure the humans paid for the pain their selfishness had put them all through. They'd all suffer, just as he and the others had. Just as Ashe had, just as _she_ had.

But he'd need more than these three, as powerful as they were… He'd need more… But how?

" **Soon… Soon the world will be cleansed of their infestation…"**

* * *

A/N. Another short chapter but there wasn't much else to write… Foreboding Mewtwo thoughts at the end… Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading!


	6. Of Fights, Plots, and Schemes

A/N. One or two more chapters and then we'll be submitting OCs. I hope you all are having a lovely summer, and enjoy the story!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 05: Of Fights, Plots, and Schemes**

* * *

" **You're doing what now?!"**

There was a point somewhere on along the lines where she probably should've started questioning her friend and his actions. She wasn't entirely sure where that had been, but at this point she was fairly certain it'd long since passed her by. And as things currently stood, it was also far too late to make an attempt at talking sense into her friend, or even more preferably beat it into him, or to even bail out all-together.

Mewtwo was in this for the long run, and as a direct result so was she. She… she still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that, but it _felt_ like an extremely bad idea, for any number of reasons she'd easily list just off the top of her head alone.

Never mind the sheer difficulty the task itself presented. And while she had no doubts as to whether Mewtwo could easily accomplish this, with or without her own assistance, it really was just that bad of an idea in her eyes.

How were you going to destroy an entire race of beings, and multiple species of pokémon, without some resistance?

It just wasn't done, not in one-go, as Mewtwo was hoping to do, and not in several either. Humans and pokémon both were stubborn, insanely so. They wouldn't take well to some strange alien pokémon straight out of a test tube suddenly appearing and calling itself king of the world, or even queen. It's why Giovanni had had such trouble conquering Kanto alone when his scientists were clearly capable of creating an army of super-powered pokémon. No one was just going to roll over and _let_ you step on them.

And there was only herself, Mewtwo, some dragonite they'd wound up taking in within the last several months, and who'd she'd taken to calling Sammy because there was a whole herd of them living nearby and she didn't feel like guessing as to which one was the one she lived with, and three fully-evolved clones still in stasis until Mewtwo was absolutely sure they wouldn't destabilize and die at the last possible second.

And there was something oddly determined about that that greatly concerned her. He seemed almost deadset on making sure these specific clones survived, even after allowing a few previous batches to perish. And it concerned her, on many levels.

She wasn't in a position to really question him about this behavior though. She didn't think she'd ever be, considering her own muddled past. At least Mewtwo could be sure where he came from. She literally could've been anything in the world prior to becoming who she was now; another clone, though that wasn't very likely, just as genetically modified as Mewtwo, only not quite as violent; a human that had somehow survived the testing when all the others on record had died within the first month, if not the first week alone. She could've even just been the one eevee that was stubborn enough to live through the testing that had killed the others too.

Her own origins beyond the well-known fact of being from a lab were even more obscure than Mewtwo's past, which probably dated to quite a bit before his awakening.

At least he could pinpoint where he'd come from. He'd even brought them back to that Arceus forsaken island and brainwashed several humans with a better understanding of construction work than the both of them combined to build them a palace worthy of an evil overlord.

Quite literally if she allowed herself to think about it for an extended period of time. With giant spiraling towers and a rather foreboding and… gothic build, it really did look like something a villain would use as a not-so secret hideout. Not so secret, because anyone with a satellite or decent telescope would have to be completely blind to miss the looming, nightmarish structure that was even bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside and set right smack dab in the middle of what was essentially nowhere,

Of course that comparison died a rather quick death when she then went on to try and picture Mewtwo as said cartoony villain, and failed to keep a straight face at the thought for more than two seconds. She'd gotten a few strange looks for that, but could anyone blame her when the picture of her friend clad in giant, monster armor and a long cape made for the most contradictory image imaginable? Never mind the fact that Mewtwo was so… skeletal in structure that it'd be too big for her upper body, and too small for the lower one. Androgynous almost came to mind, but she wasn't entirely sure if a pokémon that was singularly male could _be_ androgynous.

It was really just minute details she was using to distract herself from the problem at hand though…

" **I'm going to destroy the humans and cleanse this world of their infestation."** Yeah, she'd _thought_ he'd said that.

" **Right… I must've missed the part where the legendary pokémon that rule this world let you do this without stopping you at all."** And at the mention of those, Mewtwo actually laughed. A genuine scoff of mockery that had her flinching back slightly in surprise.

Had she missed something? Because last she checked, fighting a legendary was not laughable. It was frightening and terrifying and absolutely the worst idea in the entire world. Or, rather one of the worst ideas that could hit a person if given enough time.

" **You and I both know the legends have grown lazy. They will not stand in my way."**

" **Mewtwo…"** and she couldn't refute that, she really couldn't. For better or worse, the legendary pokémon for all their power, were becoming increasingly inactive as the years went by. It was becoming harder and harder for the humans to find them, and it seemed like the more of their kind were discovered, the more those that were still free and wild retreated.

Even his "mother", the supposed mirage of a legendary pokémon, had all but disappeared within the last three years, showing itself rarely and for increasingly short periods of time.

They probably _wouldn't_ stand up against Mewtwo until it was far too late.

" **I will rid this world of their plague and create a place for the clones and you, a place where we belong, without the contempt and fear of the humans."**

' _Well the road to hell is paved with good intentions…'_ that saying was probably far more accurate in this situation than she actually wanted it to be.

Mewtwo was going to make himself into a monster, kill thousands upon thousands of innocent lives, just so to create a place for himself and her, and whatever clones would come about in the coming days, to live.

It… well, she wouldn't lie. It sounded nice, but…

Her own existence had been built upon the sacrifice of thousands of people, innocents of almost every age, whether they'd been cripplingly old or far too young. To sacrifice anymore, just so she could be comfortable? It just didn't sit right with her, it probably never would. However much pain Team Rocket had caused the both of them, killing _all_ of the humans, it just… it wasn't fair, they deserved to live just as much as Mewtwo and herself.

" **No, they don't Ashe."** She hated when he did that, read her thoughts without her permission. Did he really think that was okay? **"I don't, but you make it difficult to ignore what you think when they are fueled by so much… emotion?"**

" **I'll pretend I get what you're trying to get at here, and just jump straight to scolding you for peeking into my head without permission again. You're worse than that alakazam Giovanni used to keep in that cage a couple bars down from your own!"** she said, giving the psychic a half-hearted glare.

She wound up wincing in the end, the cold glare she'd received for bringing up their less than desirable past almost chilling. Mewtwo didn't explicitly _like_ to think of Giovanni, ever. The human had left a rather bad taste in the clone's mouth, she knew, and made for a rather sensitive subject. Broaching it at all would've made for a painful argument, in more than a few ways, and while she knew better, it was hard to not talk about it.

Giovanni was probably the reason Mewtwo even hated humans as much as he did. That disguised villain, as well as the scientists that had created him. They'd been the epitome of all the things that were wrong with humanity. They had rather accurately represented all of the faults humans as a whole held, whether they meant to or not, and that had literally been all of contact Mewtwo had ever gotten.

Every interaction the clone had had was with a bad human, and the ones who weren't were the challengers who didn't stay long enough to leave a lasting impression. He thought all of the humans were that way, probably; greedy, selfish creatures who only cared for themselves and what could further their goals.

But that had only been a handful, they had to be only a handful. The little girl who had scratched her behind the ear even though she could've been very dangerous, the mother who'd praised her and smiled at her in an almost motherly way as she'd cooed at the child; the scientist who'd fought tooth and nail to keep her alive, even if it'd only been through increased amounts of pain. The numerous trainers she'd come in contact with… Yes, they'd only been at a distance for most of them, but they'd been nice, kind. Everything Giovanni and a number of the scientists hadn't been.

But it'd all be a waste of breathe to try and explain this to her friend. Even now, as the memories surfaced, she could tell from his expression that he didn't _want_ to believe her own memories, that they were warped and colored by a filter of some kind that left her blind to how evil they truly were.

Even the little girl, who wasn't old enough to ever be _bad_ like Giovanni and the others, was part of this infestation Mewtwo seemed to think they needed to be badly cleansed of.

" **Ashe, humans** _ **are**_ **bad. They shouldn't exist…"**

" **Just like we shouldn't exist?"** Why was she trying? He wouldn't listen. He was horrendously stubborn like that.

He'd already made up his mind, the humans would disappear, and possibly the native pokémon as well. He'd repopulate the world with his clones, and then they'd all have a home, regardless of what any god could possibly do about it…

" **I'll be back, I need to check and see if there's be any updates in regards to our escape last year…"**

" **Ashe…"**

* * *

Ashe's faith in humanity had always left him rather… bewildered. She'd suffered through more pain than he ever had, and yet she still took the humans' side. She'd seen how ugly they truly were, and yet allowed her own memories to blind her to the truth; that the humans were bad, that they couldn't be trusted. They were evil, he knew that. Greedy selfish little things that only looked out for themselves.

Everything about them was bad. Their cities, their civilization as a whole. Even history leant itself to the belief that humans could only destroy.

He was sure she wasn't ignorant of that, at the very least.

But still, she defended them, stood up for them, believed in memories that were filled with nothing but deceit. Humans were only nice after all, when it benefitted them. It would do no good for him to fight her over this though.

As much as he wanted her to see the truth, she seemed content to remain blind. Maybe one day, that would change, but for now it was best to let both their tempers cool. A fight between the two of them would not end well, and he'd already gone through painstaking lengths to build their new home. He didn't want nor need to have a repeat performance of the numerous fiascos that had occurred the first time around.

She'd be back relatively soon, once she'd allowed herself a suitable breather, and then maybe they could talk a little more, if she was even in the mood. It would be a great help to have Ashe at his back, but she was a bit of a fickle thing at times, and while completely loyal to her friends, she didn't always and wouldn't always agree with them. On more than one occasion she'd done the exact opposite of what he'd wanted, and this probably wouldn't be any different.

He could only hope she was careful…

* * *

" **Sammy…"**

" **Oh, hey Ashe! What's up?"** the young dragonite grinned down at her, large and old, but still young by his own kind's standards. Dragon-types lived for practically forever it seemed, older than the very dirt they walked on and yet not quite immortal.

To anyone else he was an adult, maybe even an old man, but to a dragon he was still a child. And he took every liberty he could to act as such. But he was dependable, and she'd never known him to be anything less.

" **I need to go to the mainland. Can you manage the trip?"**

" **Mainland? Did you and Lord Mewtwo fight?"** A fight? How'd he guess? It couldn't be…

" **I go to the mainland whenever I have a fight with Mewtwo, don't I?"**

" **Yep. But that's okay! I don't mind taking you, but…"**

" **But what?"**

" **Well, it looks like the weather's gonna be bad today. I think there's a storm brewing, and it's a big one. You still want to go?"**

" **It's better than staying here. Besides, more information never hurt."** No, more information never hurt at all. Boring as it was to do so sometimes, she'd discovered in her time with Team Rocket that it could be quite crucial. _Everything_ could go wrong and would do so, but the more informed you were, the better and easier it was to deal with all the little unexpected bumps and problems that could arise during a task.

And Mewtwo seemed deadset on doing this, with or without her help.

" **Well then, hop on! Let's see if we can beat this storm!"**

* * *

They didn't beat the storm. And in truth, they'd only managed to get themselves caught in the middle of the worst of it.

Though fortunately they'd managed to hit land before deluge of rain had hit them, she'd been less than pleased and her now freshly soaked fur.

Water was not her favorite, for sheer unfortunate fact that she was a rock-type and was only slightly better off than a fire-type when it came to the element in question. But there was little she could to change the weather. A good sandstorm attack might fix the problem…

Well, would've had she not been flying on the back of a dragonite. Immune to ground-type attacks he might've been, but even he wouldn't be able to fly in a sandstorm easily. It also would've distressed the humans below and drawn quite a bit of unwanted attention…

" **Sammy, drop me off in that clearing over there!"**

" **Are you sure?!"**

" **Yeah!"** she said jumping to the ground as soon as they were close enough. The dragon nodded his head, giving her a once over to make sure the rain hadn't bothered her too much probably, before turning to leave.

" **When should I pick you up?"**

" **Six hours from now, we'll meet up in the nearest major city!"** there was a brief moment of silence at that response, the wind howling somewhere over their heads and almost drowning out the heavy pitter patter of the rain. **"Shut up, I know that's not very descriptive."**

" **Yes ma'am."** She scowled up at the dragon, a warning look to her gaze as he took off in far more of a hurry than they'd arrived.

She watched him go, disappearing in the dark, brewing clouds overhead, and prayed that he'd make it home without getting struck by lightning… again. That had been an admittedly interesting story to say the least.

" **Now… where is that city…"** she slinked off into the muddy shadows, paws sinking into the forest floor where there was no grass to support her weight and protected from the rain by the thick canopy overhead.

* * *

It was an hour later before she'd stumbled into the city, tired, thankfully dry and feeling a lot lighter than she had when she'd left their home on the island.

There were humans, as was typical of these kinds of settlements, literally everywhere, and with them were their pokémon, whether they be pets or a trainer's pokémon. Slinking through the buildings, she was largely ignored, and if she could just keep off of the main streets she'd be good for the rest of her trip. The pokémon center would be her first stop if she could find it.

Trainers were the best source of information after all, carrying news via word of mouth from long distances. Maybe one of them had caught sight of Team Rocket or had seen Giovanni…

" _Kay Squirtle! Use Water Gun!"_ though information could wait for a few seconds, it appeared there was a battle going on nearby.

" _Pidgey! Watch out!"_ Ah, that explained everything. Two trainers, no older than ten at most, fresh and young. They must've been rookies, and were practicing with their new pokémon. That was always good, but she was tempted to make things a little difficult for them, throw in an unseen variable by jumping into the battle herself.

She wouldn't though, because Mewtwo would probably be very upset if she gave herself away just like that.

She watched the two little pokémon tussle for a bit more, before the pidgey finally came out on top, and looking rather smug, cooed its victory over the water-type. The turtle pokémon looked rather despondent himself, curling up into its shell as its trainer came to fuss over it, glaring at his opponent before retreating to the safety of the pokémon center.

" _Hmph! Coward!"_ the other boy had called, sticking his tongue out at the back of the other, before grinning rather smugly.

' _I could…'_ she'd admit that it was tempting to put the boy in his place by challenging him and his pidgey to a battle; a taste of defeat would probably deflate that growing ego of his quite a bit, but it wasn't really her place to do so…

" **Well now, lookie who we got here…"** of all the times to let her guard down…

* * *

Ashe hadn't come back yet, but she probably wouldn't come back for a good few hours yet. It had always taken her a while to gather information after all, and this case would probably be no different…

Still…

He had this sense, foreboding as it might be, that she _could_ be in trouble. Angry or not, it was always best to be safer than sorry, right?

' _Right…'_ It wouldn't hurt to at least look in on her…

* * *

As it turned out, he'd been right to be concerned. Because she'd apparently managed to run into some of Giovanni's pets.

" **Ashe!"**

" **Mewtwo? What are you doing here?"** He didn't answer her for a moment, eying their enemies with a look somewhat akin to utter disgust probably. Ashe was eying him rather warily from the side, and while he knew he wouldn't have to worry about her turning on him suddenly and without warning, he also was aware of the fact that he set her on edge some times.

He was the more powerful of the two after all… And that probably wore on her own nerves quite a bit at times, but this… this wasn't fear born from his power, this was fear of what she knew he could and would do to anyone who dared to cross him.

And a pet of Giovanni's had been what he needed to relieve his pent up stress…

"… **Talk later, we have an issue to take care of it seems…"**

" **Oh boy…"**

" **Mewtwo** _ **and**_ **Subject Eve… I've heard stories of the two of you… Lord Giovanni didn't take too well to your little escape, it'd really be in everyone's best interest if you returned."**

From his side, he heard Ashe scoff, expression almost mocking and derisive as she stalked rather gracefully around their impromptu battlefield…

" _ **Me**_ **? Return? Ha! Giovanni needs to get off his high horse before it bucks him! We're not going back, and you can't make us!"**

" **Wanna bet Girlie?"**

" **Oh, I'll do better than bet…"** it was humbling, admittedly to be reminded that Ashe had been the second strongest pokémon in Giovanni's arsenal. She'd always had a strange talent for battling, even with pokémon's general natural instincts, she'd been far above the rest in that regard.

It came naturally of course, for all pokémon, even ones like himself and Ashe. But for his friend, it just seemed to come even more fluidly. Every little move, every little attack, every trick and little plan. She didn't have to think about them, he knew because he'd read her mind in the heat of combat.

She just did it, as simple as breathing.

He didn't think he'd ever become bored of watching her compete with other pokémon, or seeing their expressions when it finally dawned on them that were more than just a little out-matched, she had them completely out-classed and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

He didn't think he'd ever seen a battlefield look more different afterwards…

* * *

" **Well?"** she'd been known to eye Mewtwo before, when she was still angry, or at the very least wanted to still act the part, in an almost dismissive sense. It was a stupidly petty thing to do, and she was fully aware of that, but she didn't _care_.

Mewtwo cared even less though, and would purposefully go out of his way at times to bother her when she really wanted to ignore him and pretend he didn't exist.

" **I'll need to tell Sammy that he doesn't have to pick me up any more.** _ **You**_ **came and got me."**

" **I sensed that something was wrong."** They both knew that wouldn't really satisfy her, even if it was a very good reason, but it was an explanation at least. She could give him just that much.

" **Of course you did…"**

" **Ashe…"**

" **I'll help you."** They both stopped, Mewtwo probably looking very confused while she just gave him her usual smirk and a quirked eyebrow.

" **What?"**

" **I'll help. At least that way if something goes wrong you'll have back-up. If I let you do this by yourself, you'll probably wind up dead."**

" **But…"**

" **Make no mistake, I don't approve of this at all. I think you're crazy. Hell, I think this is the stupidest thing you could ever think of doing!"** she'd probably left him speechless, but this would be the only chance she would get to speak her mind without him constantly interrupting her.

And she'd take those little moments where she could.

" **But you're still my friend,"** and at that, she walked back over to him, brushing against his leg the same way a trained pokémon would to a trainer they saw as family. **"And I'd be a very terrible pokémon if I let you jump into this on your own."**

" **Thank you."** He finally managed, looking a lot more relieved than he probably should have. She smirked though, all sarcastic but meaningful love and the kind of affection she'd only ever seen family show to each other.

" **Besides, there's really no helping stupid. But I can attempt to mitigate the damage."**

" **You just had to ruin it… didn't you?"**

" **That's what I'm here for! Now run this whole scheme by me again so I'm clear on just how crazy I can safely assume you are."** The went inside, her waving in a rather awkward fashion as Sammy flew overhead with some strange contraption wrapped around his neck, that one fearow that had joined them a little after not far behind with a similar device.

* * *

A/N. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Just so you guys know, there are no more spaces left for OCs! The OCs will be introduced starting next chapter! Please leave a review and see ya!


	7. Breaking Duldrums

A/N. And here we begin with introducing the OCs!

 **Disclaimer: All OCs belong to their original creators; that being; Siphon 117, Cant Catch This, and NightHunterDeath.**

* * *

 **EP 06: Breaking Duldrums**

* * *

 _ **To create a million, you first need one. Nothing can be made from zero… So if you want to create an army, start from one;**_

 _ **How?**_

* * *

The world went by rather easily… The sun rose in the mornings, set in the evenings, and the time in between could be nothing but peaceful…

 _How boring…_

His contracts were slow coming as of late, leaving him with a rather apparent pickle; he had nothing to do. Mind you that had never been a particular problem before, and even now it still wasn't too big a deal… But even _he_ could become rather bored at times.

He'd really need to find something to do with himself in the coming days or he'd be sure to lose his mind… Something easy that wouldn't cut into his choice in career, and allowed for a lot of naps…

' _Speaking of naps…'_ Last he had checked; fearow, while common, weren't normally found in the skies this far north… They preferred warmer climates overall, and typically could be found near their old evolutionary rivals… Old grudges and all that, he guessed. And this place held none of those characteristics.

Hell, the nearest forest was a good fifty miles south… And the native species of flying-types consisted of a combination of dragon/flying and fire/flying dual-types with a nasty temper.

"What in Arceus' name are _you_ doing here?" there was a small chance that it belonged to a trainer, and he just couldn't see them. _That_ had always been one of his weaknesses, of a sort. He didn't normally challenge trainers unless they were in his way. So when one was in the area, he had a bad tendency to just ignore their presence altogether.

It wasn't like it created a particular problem either. A lot of the kids who'd started out on their journeys in a safer environment had a tendency to be very naïve and trusting. They didn't expect the worst to occur until _after_ it had already bit them in the ass. And since they were completely oblivious to the… darker side of pokémon, it made it very easy for him to maneuver; provided of course, he avoided the police like they had the plague. And that alone was an easy enough task to accomplish, because Officer Jenny and her ilk were completely incompetent in their jobs and often got themselves into far more trouble than they ever did fixing the issue in the first place.

"Luxray…" the feel of the air sparking at his side was familiar though, and he instinctively reached out to run a hand across black fur. The creature in question growled, electricity arcing across its form as the pokémon glared up at the apparent intruder.

"Cool it, Speedy. We don't know what that thing can do yet, or even why its here." He swore one day that this pokémon was going to get the both of them killed, but at the very least it would be a fun way to die. They'd been together for practically forever after all, and he doubted he'd ever pass on any other way… He'd like to think it would be fighting but…

"Lux!" she barked back at him, sitting down as told, but still keeping a rather distrustful gaze on the flying-type circling overhead…

What was it about that thing that was setting her so on edge?

"Excuse me," _'More people, great. Just what I need.'_

He felt himself heave a sigh without actually meaning to, golden brown eyes narrowing as he took in this newcomer…

She was… young, probably about the average age of your typical rookie trainer; she couldn't have been more than eleven at most. Short red hair pulled back into a ponytail and clad in a cutesy green tunic with a pair of brown leggings. Her eyes were a little… dull, an almost vacant shade of brown, but she very well could've been blind…

Still, there was something very familiar about this girl… _'Where have I seen her before…?'_

"What is it, Kid? I got places to be and no time for games. You want something from me?"

"A battle."

"A battle?" why a battle? And why in such a remote place? For that matter what was this kid doing here? There were no major cities for miles around, even the closest village was on the other side of the forest due south. To come out all this way, where the only pokémon to be found were territorial flyers and a few rather vicious houndoom and houndour packs, and what _might've_ been a tyranitar but could've been his eyes playing tricks on him.

Nothing for a little girl who'd probably only just started on her journey, and hadn't yet gotten ahold of a decently strong pokémon… _'But looks can be deceiving, can't they?'_

"Yes, a battle. Just one on one, nothing that should take up too much of your time." That was something else. For a kid, this girl spoke _way_ too formally, and she was unusually stiff to. Speedy wasn't growling at the kid though, but still…

Could she be trusted?

"Just one battle?"

"Yes."

"Fine," he'd take a chance, bored as he was. The kid probably couldn't do much to him anyways. Worst came to worse, he'd probably just need to visit a pokémon center afterwards and be on his marry way to train some more, instead of lazing about for a good evening. "One-on-one, huh? Speedy, you up for this?"

"Lux!" the pokémon in question barked, leaping out into the empty space the girl had left between them. She'd backed up even farther, not flinching at all with electric-types eagerness.

"This is… a luxray, yes?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"… Is it your starter?"

"Starter? Listen, I don't know why that matters! Let's just get a move on!" Impatient he might seem, but he really wasn't one for small talk. This was a battle after all, and they could talk later if she really wanted to have a conversation that badly.

"Chesnaught…" the girl called, tossing a pokéball into the air with an almost mechanical motion. The ball snapped open with a flash, a giant wall of a grass-type crashing to the ground with an earthshaking thud.

He grimaced at the sight, not at the challenge it might've presented but at the sheer thought. The species was known for being a decent defensive wall at the very least. Not the best, but it wasn't the absolute worst. A grass/fighting dual-type and the fully evolved form of one of the starters used in the distant Kalos Region. Not the most graceful or the bunch, but it did boast an impressive attack and defensive stat compared to its counterparts.

"Ok, we got us a tank of a grass-type… Speedy look alive!" He called, as he sized it up. Compared to some of the ones he'd faced before, it wasn't all that bad. It certainly could've been a lot worse, and while clearly skilled and unusually powerful, it definitely wasn't something impossible for any of his pokémon to take on…

Speedy would be able to handle it, if not for power, than for sheer fact that she far outmatched it in regards to speed. To land any particularly devastating blows it would have to match her, and they were the slower species over all.

"Lux!"

"Let's start things off! Electric Terrain!" The field immediately lit up with a loud bark, electricity arcing off of Speedy and coursing through the ground until everything lit up in an almost blinding yellow.

The girl didn't seem disturbed by it at all, simply stepping back a ways so she wouldn't get caught in any strays fired off by the move. Her pokémon seemed every less deterred, not even shifting and giving them both a rather disconcerting stare.

"…"

This was strange, really strange. Even the calmest of his opponents had reacted in some way to the attack, usually already grasping for a plan to counteract the move and get rid of his early advantage. She didn't even seemed bothered, or like she cared, and her pokémon had that same strangely vacant look in its eyes that she had.

' _Are they not going to try and counter...?'_ he shifted slightly, and Speedy moved with him, growling at their strange behavior. It was apparently the cue the girl had been waiting for.

"Chesnaught, Earthquake." The ground erupted with little fare after that, the dual-type in question slamming its foot into the ground and sending a series of deadly sharp spires shooting towards his pokémon.

Speedy didn't have to be told to dodge of course, their own time together showing as she leapt into the air without hesitation, darting off to the side when the spikes followed after her. The attack was too slow, in the end, and quickly petered out as it lost all of its momentum and power. "Take Down." Hitting Speedy hadn't apparently been the girl's goal though, as the dual-type almost ran the luxray over, Speedy just barely managing to dodge the attack.

One of those spikes that were so predominant on a chesnaught's body nicked her though as it passed, easily correcting itself as it made another attempt.

"Speedy, let's slow it down! Thunderwave!" the attack hit home, the Electric Terrain leaving their opponent paralyzed and slowing it down a great deal. It gave Speedy move to room and work.

Normally he would've switched it out then for a different pokémon with Volt Switch, but since this was a one-on-one… "Now use Ice Fang!" the electric-type lunged with little hesitation, fangs sinking into her opponent's hide, before it shook her off and sent her flipping into the air.

She landed on her paws though, just as graceful as ever.

"Focus Blast." The fighting-type move sped passed, almost knocking him off his own feet in the ensuing explosion. Speedy hissed at that from somewhere off to the left, but his ears were ringing too badly for him to be completely sure.

Since when in the world was a Chesnaught _that_ powerful?

"Shit!" he swore, picking himself up as he chanced a glance at the area behind him.

There was a crater in the ground where a nice and lovely spot on the hillside for a nap had been, and if he wasn't so shocked he might've been a little miffed at that. But as things stood, the damage was near heart-attack inducing, causing his heart to slam in his chest.

That very well could've been _him_.

"… I believe that is enough…"

"What?"

"My master has determined that what he has seen of your skills is enough." A master? His skills? What in the world was this girl on? She'd practically killed him with that last attack and what for? A test of some kind?

"What the fuck?!"

"My apologies for the… rough treatment. My master wanted to make sure that you were truly as skilled as he'd been lead to believe…"

"And what for?" At that question, the girl returned her demon of a chesnaught back into its pokéball, the pokémon almost stone still as it disappeared in the same brilliant flash it had appeared in. Her hands dropped to her front after that, folding together as she approached him in an almost robotic manner.

She dug into the bag she'd had wrapped around her shoulder the entirety of the battle, pulling out a card of some sort and holding it out. She completely ignored Speedy's protective growling, disregarding the electric-type entirely and waited for him to take it.

He'd admit that he was nervous as he accepted the item.

" _Greetings Trainers,"_ he almost dropped the card right then and there, even his own years of experience not having completely prepared him for the sight of some woman in strange burgundy clothing and a nun's abbot appearing. It was a hologram of course, a pre-recorded image, but still, the technology was rare enough that he didn't commonly encounter it.

Whoever this "master" was that had sent this girl was obviously very rich.

" _You have been cordially invited as part of a select group of pokémon trainers to join a special gathering. It will be hosted by my master; the world's greatest pokémon trainer…"_

And didn't that sound completely conceited?

" _At his palace on New Island."_ The woman's image disappeared then, replaced by the image of a map of some kind, not particularly detailed but showing the path of something. A plane? _"A chartered ferry will leave from Old Shore Wharf to take you five o'clock pm, a month from now."_

Old Shore Wharf? He'd never heard of New Island personally, but the wharf was somewhere along the southern-most tip of the Kanto region. That'd be a long trip, but this master of theirs had apparently taken into account the sheer distance some of these trainers he or she had invited would have to travel, and as such had afforded them time.

But why plan so extensively? It was sure to be a huge gathering yes, but this seemed almost too sudden, and not quite nearly as thoroughly planned as it probably should've been.

Why the near life-threatening test?

" _Only trainers with this invitation will be admitted. If you decide to attend, you must reply at once."_ And he pulled out a white and red card, two boxes lined up perfectly with the descriptors; yes and no next to them. _"My master awaits you."_ The image of the woman had returned, giving him a curtsy before disappearing, the recording having come to an end.

So the question was, did he want to go?

The girl was still there, probably waiting for his response…

"And this 'master' of yours will be there?"

"My master has no reason to lie."

"What do you think, Speedy?" the pokémon in question barked, eyes gleaming with a hint of anger. Clearly she wanted revenge against this "world's greatest pokémon trainer" for sending some kid to attack her trainer, and he wasn't about to get in her way… "Fine, fine." He pulled out a pen, checking the box marked 'Yes', and with a growing sense of trepidation handed it back to the girl.

She took it, tucking it into an envelope and sticking back into whatever pocket she'd originally pulled it out from within her bag, before giving him a bow and leaving.

"Thank you." He'd made the mistake of blinking for a split second, but it'd been all she'd needed to disappear completely.

Overhead, he noted, that the fearow was gone too.

"Speedy, I think we might be in a bit of trouble…"

"Lux…"

* * *

A/N. So what do you all think? Hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a nice day! This one was made by Cant Catch This, and his name is Jack Holter. Maybe more on him later, but for now, that's the first. Next up… well that's a surprise!

Please leave a review and see ya!


	8. Prospects of a Challenge

A/N. And now for a continuation of OCs… (I haven't read the specific fic, but this OC is being{or will be} used in a fic by KratosTheGodofWar known as _"Mesoa League: The Ultimate Challenge"._ Siphon 117 submitted him in the original, and I'm carrying him over into this one.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the OC used in this chapter, ownership belongs to Siphon 117 for this one, and the previous chapter was Cant Catch This.**

* * *

 **EP 07: Prospects of a Challenge**

* * *

 _ **Pokémon…**_

 _ **Pokémon?**_

 _ **Pokémon and humans…**_

* * *

"Houndour, Houndoom! Use Flamethrower!"

For all intense and purposes, he probably looked pretty cornered. But that was the thing; he _looked_ cornered. The truth and crux of the matter was that this thief was in over her pretty little head, and she just didn't know it yet.

Bright red eyes and a ridiculous shade of pink that _had_ to be dyed for hair, she must've thought he'd be easy pickings despite the clearly powerful pokémon he had on his personage.

Or maybe that was just it, he'd had powerful pokémon. And humans could rarely defend themselves against attackers, as reliant as they were on their companions. The exact same couldn't be said for him of course, but at the very least he'd probably looked the part in some way. And that had encouraged this nameless chic to attempt an assault.

Assault, because she'd threatened his life if he didn't hand over his friends. It wouldn't ever come to battery, because he wouldn't _allow_ her the chance.

He never _had_ liked pokémon thieves and poachers. No good ever came from having them around, and no good would certainly be very prevalent if he continued to let her run free.

"Blaze, Sage! Try not to rough her up too badly, we might need answers later." The two pokémon in question barked and roared in response, fire licking at the ground and killing the grass as water evaporated out of the air.

There was a reason these were two of his strongest, and it wasn't just for shits and giggles. These weaker fire attacks wouldn't do anything against his family and they all knew it. "Show 'em what a _real_ Flamethrower looks like!"

And the whole field went up in a brilliant show of flames.

"Ah!"

"Hey, get back here!" if there were more of them waiting in the wings, he didn't need back-up coming to make his life difficult. He couldn't let her escape, and he certainly wasn't going to let this transgression slide. He could feel the ground rumble slightly underneath him as Blaze roared his own outrage at their attacker's cowardice, but he didn't want the draconic fire-type leaping into what could very well be a trap. Better himself than either of his pokémon, than any of them after all.

"She is not important…"

"?!" _'Ok, who invited the scrawny red head girl, 'cause it certainly wasn't me…'_ he stared wide-eyed, the newcomer some kid who couldn't be much older than the typical starting trainer. She stared at him with an almost vacant expression, eyes devoid of any sort of emotion.

"She will meet a suitable fate soon, but there are bigger challenges awaiting you…"

"…and what are these so-called challenges?" This kid was creepy, in more ways than one. Where had she even come from? Because she certainly hadn't been in the area before, he would've noticed. They were in a forest of all things after all, and there hadn't been people for miles until that pinkette had attacked him. Now he was being pestered by some strange magic girl.

He felt like he was poking at a hive of potentially angry beedrill, and wasn't that a bad idea even on a good day?

"Flor…" The Kalos-born pokémon that appeared in the path the pokéthief had fled in, staring him down with the same vacant expression he'd seen on the stuffed dolls sold in children's toy stores in the cities. The two dual-types that had been so readily abandoned by their trainer were gone as well, though he'd had no clue as to where they'd disappeared to, considering they'd been almost instantly knocked out by his own two fire-types.

"A pokémon battle?" he frowned. Something about this wasn't right, and every bone in his body was screaming at him to not trust this kid. But how could a child be dangerous? There was of course, the renowned Sabrina, who since infancy had shown great skills as a psychic, and had been dangerous in her own right, but this kid didn't seem to have any powers beyond the magical teleporting thing…

Maybe she was psychic too, in which case why had she come here to challenge him to a battle of all things? And right in the midst of dealing with a criminal.

"Grassy Terrain…" the fires disappeared just as quickly as they'd shown up, causing his two pokémon to shift slightly as the terrain transformed right underneath his feat. He'd almost forgotten about those pesky terrain moves, which were heavily used in Kalos and very rarely anywhere else.

Was this kid Kalos-born or… "Frenzy Plant…" And of course there'd be the one pokémon he _hadn't_ seen leave its pokéball somewhere in their blind spot. Luckily both pokémon were just that side shy of being immune entirely to grass-type attacks, though the attack still threw Sage for a bit of a loop as Blaze took to the air without any hesitation.

The typhlosion in question rumbled her anger as she shook off the sudden loss of her balance and re-established her own footing. The girl wasn't nearly done pressing her rather surprising attack, and ordered the Kalos grass starter she'd called out when he hadn't been looking to attack again.

"Take Down."

"Okay Blaze, Flamethrower! Slow its movements down! Sage, get ready with a Fire Blast!"

"Rain Dance…" so the kid had come prepared for fire-types and had brought something to weaken them. Smart, but he could still work around this. It'd take a few seconds for the fire to die down after all, and that would be all he needed to get some good attacks in while his opponent was stuck.

"Extreme Speed, both of you!" The two pokémon in question sped through the flames, not deterred at all by the less than favorable weather conditions. The two pokémon slammed into their respective opponents, the florges bouncing across the ground due to how tiny and comparatively light it was. Blaze however bounced off of his opponent, a green shield of painful thorns stopping the high speed attack in its tracks, and sending the dual-type back with a pained roar. _'Shit! I forgot about chesnaughts' signature attack.'_ The Spiky Shield dissipated quickly enough, revealing the still uninjured grass/fighting dual-type.

Somewhere on the opposite side stood Sage, glaring down the fairy-type who'd only just picked herself up off the ground. And neither pokémon seemed at all phased by the damage she had taken from the Extreme Speed.

"Sage! Focus Blast! Blaze, Steel Wing!"

"Dazzling Gleam…" the move blinded the three of them, but not before Blaze had managed to hit the fairy-type with the steel-type attack. The fairy-type hit the ground with a dull and heavy thud, and he even found himself wincing at the sound the poor pokémon had made upon contact.

Her trainer however, seemed entirely uncaring as to just how beaten the fairy-type was, simply calling the pokémon back to her pokéball and tucking the device into her bag.

"You are strong…" She finally spoke, pulling out a different pokéball and returning the chesnaught she'd sent out in tandem with the recently fallen florges…

' _I'm strong?'_ is _that_ why'd she'd attacked him so suddenly? Just to see if his pokémon were strong? That was… well, so many kinds of ridiculous, but hadn't he done the same on more than one occasion?

It was kind of like trainers after all, to test themselves against those they might see as a challenge, but to go so far?

"…You should treat your pokémon better…" she was… not nearly as new at this as he'd originally thought, given her age, but still, to have such skilled pokémon and be so dismissive when they got hurt? That wasn't right. Pokémon should be treated fairly, just like you would want another human being to treat you.

"…" she said nothing, instead taking a step back as _something_ bright orange bowled him over at near Mach speeds, the familiar call of a certain dragon-type pokémon filling his ears as it did an immediate U-turn somewhere behind him and came back.

"What the fuck…?!" he found himself very dazed as he carefully picked himself up from the ground, rubbing at his now very sore side and shooting a half-hearted glare at the pokémon that had knocked him on his own ass. "Huh?" claws held out a rather innocuous envelope, the main body still flapping its wings and hovering off the ground.

He flipped it over for a bit, taking in the completely blank white paper, before opening it and listening to what the hologram had had to say…

A gathering of what this supposed "Strongest Pokémon Trainer" deemed to be the most skilled had to be interesting… But still that would mean people, and he'd never been a particular fan of having to talk with them. He much preferred pokémon… But if he could battle…

Was it worth it?

"What do you think Blaze? Sage?" the two hovered over his shoulders, scanning the envelope and even chatting with the dragonite that had delivered the letter while accidently knocking their trainer over.

Eventually the two agreed, probably interested in the potential challenge skilled trainers like what this invitation implied would provide them as a whole. If his pokémon wanted to go…

"Alright, I'll go." The dragon handed him a pen so he could check the appropriate box on the pokéball-esque card, before handing it back and tucking the card back in. He almost placed the invitation in as well, but the dragon stopped him, taking it and handing it to him as a show that he needed to keep it.

He nodded, and the dragonite took the response card and flew over to the girl that had initially challenged him.

"My master awaits your arrival at New Island in three weeks. Please remember to not be late." The girl said, before turning and heading back into the forest. The dragon took off without her, and he made the mistake of looking up only to blink in shock as both of his own pokémon yipped in astonishment.

The girl had _vanished_.

* * *

A/N. So any guesses to who this mysterious nameless girl is that Mewtwo is sending to test these trainers?

Yes? No? I'll leave you a hint; she's not an OC.

Well anyways, if you have one, leave it in the reviews! That was Siphon Rayzar from Siphon 117. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please tell me what you guys thought of it! I hope you all have a nice day and see ya!


	9. Icy Nightmares

A/N. Yes, there are more OCs! Deal with it, these are important characters! I have decided this, and I feel it will make the characters more interesting!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next one, courtesy of the awesome Cant Catch This who has been so helpful in supplying the characters I need to substitute for the (admittedly) flat ones from the actual movie.

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 08: Icy Nightmares**

* * *

 _ **Humans?!**_

 _ **You want an army, don't you?**_

…

* * *

" _RWOAR!"_

 _The ground rocking with explosions…_

 _Fire…_

 _Screaming…_

" _MOMMY! DADDY!"_

There was a scream lodged somewhere in the confines of her throat, all but chocking her as the last dredges of sleep left her. A nightmare, and probably one of the worst flashbacks she'd had to date.

' _Damn dragons… who needs 'em anyways?!'_ she huffed, brushing strands of black hair tipped in light blue behind her hair as she gathered up her belongings. A glance at the skies above told her it probably a little passed six in the morning, the sun already peeking through the trees above.

She wasn't entirely sure if that was a bad thing.

Kanto was… nothing like Sinnoh. And was probably the most different between the regions. Even Johto had been cooler, and compared to the icy swaths of her home, the region was practically a sauna.

It was _hot_ , almost unbearably so, but she was here for a reason and she refused to be detoured from it. She _had_ to challenge Lorelie, and if she won than she would be prepared for Glacia. Or at least she _hoped_ she would be.

The Elite Four were an entirely different bucket of magikarp compared to her previous challenges. Ice-types were a rare typing to begin with; scarce and not very popular for most trainers, and those that did specialize in them were skilled. It was why they were commonly the last gym fought in the regions that had them. Their pokémon were just too strong for most beginning trainers to challenge.

And Elite Four like Lorelei and Glacia made them look like child's play be comparison.

But it was all or nothing for her. If she lost to Glacia, than she'd just have to get stronger, train her pokémon until they could squash both.

She wouldn't stop until she'd hunted down those demons and made them pay for what they'd done to her family.

' _Mom, dad, don't worry. I'll make sure you guys are avenged.'_

"Lass…"

"Hmm? Lady, what is it?" She'd almost forgotten that she'd left her ice-types out last night, instead of keeping them in their pokéballs. But for something to draw her attention…

She followed the dual-types gaze up and…

"SHIT!" She quickly recalled most of her pokémon, leaving only the twins out, the two ice-types taking a protective stance in front of her.

This wasn't dragon territory. She'd made sure to check, before even setting foot in the forest after leaving Saffron. What was a dragonite doing here?! There weren't any caves or clean waters within a mile for such a large creature to live in, and a trainer hadn't set foot into this forest in the last three weeks at the very least.

It… it wasn't the one she'd be looking for after beating Glacia… That lightning bolt scar was missing, and this one was tinier than the one that had… It was younger too, even at this distance she could see that much.

That didn't mean she liked it any better though.

"Arceus damn it all! This isn't… Both of you be ready!"

"Orre…" there was a faint growling noise somewhere behind her… What the hell?!

"Lass!"

"Glalie!"

"Alie, Lady, don't attack yet. There's still the dragon to worry about overhead, and this…" Honestly, she didn't even know what this thing was.

She'd never seen anything like it before. It was… dog-like or fox-like, more closer to the appearance of a jolteon almost, but still far from it. Clearly a pokémon, just not one she'd never come across before. And she'd been practically all over the world.

She knew that there were as many species of pokémon as there were people on the planet. Probably even more than that, and she even certain that they'd never be able to find and discover all of them.

Eevees, for instance, were known to evolve into purely special forms, like ice and electricity, but there was nothing that stated that they couldn't evolve into a physical form as well. Eevee were normal-types after all…

And this thing did look a lot like an eeveelution…

"Maybe… Lady, Alie, keep an eye on that dragon, make sure it doesn't get the drop on us… Belle!" she didn't even really turn around as she called out her own eeveelution, the ice-type appearing in a flash as she shook herself out and stretched. She probably hadn't expected to be called out so soon after being recalled in the first place.

"Gla!"

"Orre?" the two quickly dissolved into a chattering, nonsensical mess, and while she couldn't specially understand what either were saying, she could guess at the very least, that they were being civil with each other.

All for the better really, because between that damn dragon and this new pokémon, she wasn't entirely sure if she could win.

"Lady Ashe?" their conversation was cut short though, as a strange woman clad in an impractically long, burgundy dress came walking out of the brush. She paused to take a moment and scan her own surroundings, before finally spotting what she must've been looking for.

' _Lady Ashe? The pokémon? What a strange nickname…'_

"Lady Ashe, the master was not pleased with your disappearance, you must be more careful." Ah, that explained so little and yet so much at the same time. The woman herself wasn't a trainer, but apparently a servant of some kind. Maybe hired help?

She must've come looking for this pokémon, who belonged to her master, and that was the person who gave it that nickname… Or maybe, the nickname was just 'Ashe', and the woman was being oddly formal with the creature.

Though, to be fair, a healthy dose of respect was always needed when handling a pokémon of any kind… Still, there was a dragon circling over their heads, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say it was getting closer.

Far too close for comfort.

"Ma'am, you need to be careful! There's a dragon overhead!"

"A dragon?" the woman stared at her, for a good ten seconds, as if she'd been speaking in another language entirely, before looking up into the skies. "Oh, that one is of no issue."

"It's a dragon! What in the world makes you think that that one isn't an issue?! They're predators!"

"And that one is completely harmless… It will not place anyone in danger at this moment, both my master and Lady Ashe swear by this. That one is just doing his assigned rounds…"

"Rounds? For what?" she knew there were dragon tamers in the world, that there were people who willingly trained dragons, hell she'd taken up an occupation to become their opposition. Even if she didn't plan on ever defeating a dragon-type specialist, she knew they existed and that they were powerful. Their pokémon were powerful, and largely carnivorous.

How anyone could willingly train such monsters she'd never know, but they did so and she was in no great position to really judge.

"Nothing of so great importance-?"

"Orre! Orre-or-ore!" the woman looked down at the barking pokémon tugging at her dress, seeming to listen to it chatter at her.

There was a beat of silence, and then two, and maybe even a third before the woman finally stood back up and faced her.

"It appears that I stand corrected. If you would do me the honor of a battle, Lady Ashe and my master would like to test you."

"Battle? Test?" it couldn't hurt, but she didn't even know what pokémon the woman might use, or if she was even capable of fighting. "Alright, the rules?"

"A simple one-on-one."

"Orre!"

"Alright, Belle return! Lady, wanna play?"

"Lass!"

"Kay, Alie, you too." She recalled the two other ice-types, leaving only the ice/ghost dual-type to take on whatever pokémon the woman had on her, or even the pokémon she'd apparently been sent to collect.

"Orre!"

"Please do not disappoint, Lady Ashe apparently expects a lot from you…"

* * *

She'd been entirely wrong with thinking this woman couldn't battle. If she was a servant, than she'd picked quite a few skills from _somewhere_ because she didn't think she'd ever faced such a challenging opponent before in her life.

The woman had complete control of the battlefield, even when she made the mistake of thinking she didn't.

She was certainly being reminded of why ice wasn't one of the most popular when it came to defensive teams. That houndoom was just this side shy of tearing Lady apart with its fire attacks.

But she wasn't losing. Even with the abnormally powerful houndoom and the fact that she just couldn't get control of the situation, she was still winning. For all of its power, it did no good if it couldn't hit Lady, and that was for the best really, because she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to see what would happen if one of those Flamethrowers actually hit.

"Overheat." _'Shit!'_

"Lady, Double Team, quick!" the dual-type didn't hesitate, vanishing as a blue of clones over took the field, before quickly vanishing in the face of the unbearable heat the attack spat out. "Ominous Wind!" it wouldn't do much, but it also didn't actually need to. Houndoom was a dark/fire dual-type, and as a result held the large advantage between the two.

But Lady was faster.

"Fros!"

"Confuse Ray while it's still disoriented! And Thunderbolt!" the dog pokémon screeched in pain, almost collapsing as electricity shot through its body.

It wasn't down, but that had been more damage than any of the previous attacks had caused, and with the previous little chip attacks she'd been sending its way, all she'd need was a good solid hit to win.

She never got the chance though.

"It appears that Lady Ashe was right…"

"Orre."

"Huh?" she watched in confusion as the woman recalled the heavily injured dual-type, tucking the pokéball away before giving her a curtsy in what was either thanks or just respect.

"My master wishes to extend an invitation. He is holding a gathering at his palace on New Island, and should you accept, there will be a ferry to take you there in the afternoon a week from now at Old Shore Wharf." The woman explained, handing her a strangely blank envelope.

"A gathering? And why invite me? He doesn't even know who I am."

"You are strong, and your pokémon are very skilled. That is all the reason my master needs. If you wish to attend, please respond promptly."

Promptly? And a gathering? How in the world did one even plan such a thing when they didn't know any of their guests? _'Why trainers specifically? And how did he pick me?'_

As if she could somehow read her own thoughts, the woman lifted a single finger, pointing upwards towards the dragon that was still circling overhead. She dared a glance up in response, and she felt her eyes widen in shock as sunlight hit something that was wrapped around the creatures neck…

' _A camera?! He was watching the battle!'_

But why use pokémon for surveillance like that? It wasn't as if it hadn't been done before, but still it was strange. Why not challenge her himself, instead giving a servant powerful pokémon and sending them out to test these trainers himself…

So many questions, and no answers at all…

"I'll go." It was stupid, incredibly so, but if she could challenge trainers just as strong as herself, she would be even more prepared for both her challenges to the Elite Four, as well as for when she finally set out to hunt down the three monsters that had ruined her life.

And so long as she had her pokémon, how in the world could things go wrong?

The woman nodded, opening the envelope for her to hand her a specific card, while taking another slip of paper and a pen and checking off something on it. She kept the slip of paper, and bowed to her, turning to leave.

"Please do not lose that card. It is what you will need to get into the palace. Only trainers with that invitation may enter."

"Ok…" Both the woman, and the pokémon vanished, the dragon taking off in an obscure direction and leaving her and Lady by themselves…

A week.

She had to get to the Old Shore Wharf in a week.

She could do that.

* * *

A/N. And there we have it. That was the lovely Primrose, by Cant Catch This! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


	10. Of Light and Dark

A/N. And more OCs. Sorry for the break, but I was drawing stuff and pulling my hair out…

Also life. Life happens.

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 09: Of Light and Dark**

* * *

 _ **Why humans though?**_

 _ **Humans have strong pokémon. If you want an army to take over the world, you need strong pokémon…**_

* * *

She'd hit the ground running, or rather, she'd fallen end over end off a cliff a good mile up and somehow landed in just the right way to roll until she'd gotten her feet back under her again. Then she'd run.

And she couldn't quite remember why she'd thought it'd be a good idea, in fact it had probably been the worst, but she'd never been one for careful, and trouble was something she had no qualms with causing.

Shame it had to be with one of the more temperamental pokémon in the Kalos region. If it had been any other, far more docile species, it might not've been so bad then, but she'd pissed off a flock of talonflame and their pre-evolutions, and as eager as she'd been for a good fight at the time, she knew better to take on _that_ many pokémon on their own home turf.

It'd only end badly for her and her pokémon, and she hadn't been too willing to risk their safety. Hers would probably be rather secondary.

As things stood though, she'd only managed to scuff herself up rather badly with the talonflames still on her heels. And worse she was in a clearing and in line of sight for their attacks.

"Shit!" would've been the most apt word she could use, and she certainly hadn't hesitated when one of the temperamental dual-types had the apparent audacity to spit fire at her hair. And the rest of its gang seemed all to happy to cackle at her own misfortune. _'Damn them… Damn them all. I like pokémon, but this is getting ridiculous.'_

It'd only come with a rather sardonic satisfaction that she'd finally broken the treeline, coming to a skidding halt as the closer branches detoured most of them from following her via the more direct path. They'd only wind up hurting themselves if they following that plan, and while it would be better for her, it wasn't what she wanted exactly.

"Ok, you feather-brained fire hazards! Let's see you eat this!" she tossed the familiar and heavily worn pokémon into the air, it snapping open with a brilliant flash as the long, snake-like grass-type appeared.

She could hear the pokémon hissing from where she stood, green body coiled tight as keen eyes glared warningly at the obviously very angry birds.

It would do little to detour them, but that would make it all the better. She hadn't had a good, harrowing battle in a good amount of time, and the poor girl had been getting rather bored as of late.

This would make for a good warm up at the very least, and if not, she was sure she could find something or _someone_ to entertain them both.

She didn't even wait for any orders; a sudden, violent wind littered with some very sharp looking leaves flew at the apparently far weaker than she'd initially thought horde, the Leaf Storm knocking out a number of their opponents before dying down, the rest quickly taken care of by a sneaky Leaf Blade to their very open blind spots.

Not worth all the effort she'd put into running apparently, and she found herself more than disappointed at that. These were supposed to be a very powerful flock of flying pokémon, but in the face of her starter's might, she guessed they were more pidgey than vicious predator.

"Hey!"

"Huh?" She hadn't been expecting anyone else to be in this neck of the woods, but then again she also hadn't entirely been expecting that flock of flying-types either. And how well had that ended?

"Sorry, for scaring you!" Some chick in a green hoodie showed up, practically dropping out of the trees, some grass-type she almost immediately recognized as a roserade not far behind. Platinum blonde hair made her stick out like a sore thumb almost amidst the dark, and she almost curled away at the sight until she noticed how it unevenly blended into a darker color at the roots.

Dyed, definitely, but probably hadn't been too shabby a job until time had passed and the girl's hair had been allowed to grow out a little more.

She seemed to be all smiles, an unbidden energy from some unknown source around her and, while she hadn't been entirely aware of the girl at first, now that she _knew_ she was there it'd be impossible to ignore the stranger.

And she'd wanted a fairly peaceful afternoon too…

Or well, as peaceful as her afternoon could get after that debaucle.

"Uh…" had to be her most intelligent response though, because she certainly wasn't' quite sure what to make of this girl. She was around her own age at least, possibly a year older though she couldn't really tell. She _was_ tall for her age, even if only by a few inches.

"Heh, so I saw you battle just now… Those talonflame are pretty mean normally, but you took them down pretty quickly."

"Indeed… Can I help you?"

"Not much, just a battle."

"A battle?"

"Yeah, that's right. A battle. Nothing big, but you seemed a little bored after that tussle and you seem like you could be a challenge!"

A battle, with a girl who appeared to be far stronger than she letting on? Well, she'd never been one to back down from a challenge, but her bubbly personality _was_ a little off putting.

Somewhere behind her, she was certain the residential grass-type of her team was snickering away at her own expense, because she understood her trainer _just_ that well. The dang snake probably thought she was being over-dramatic, and if she were human and could speak, she'd probably say something about a rock having a bubbly personality compared to her own.

"Well?"

"Fine, Ivy, you up for the challenge, girl?"

"Ssser!" the grass-type hissed, the faint sensation of her curling around her legs hitting her as the pokémon rested her head against her shoulder.

"Well then, it looks like we have a battle."

"Ok then! Romeo, you're up!"

"Rose-rade!" the pokémon immediately leaped into the field, chattering away at her own and seeming to almost _flirt_ with her own pokémon.

But it couldn't, could it?

"Romeo!" Felicity laughed, and the pokémon in question quickly ceased whatever it had been doing to return to its side of the field. Her own serperior looking less than impressed as she gazed rather dully at its retreating form. "Anyways, the name's Felicity! Felicity Willows, what's yours?"

"Ace."

"Ace? Like Ace of Spades?"

"Yeah, exactly like that."

"Cool!" she chirped, both seeming to wind up as they prepared to send an attack out. "Oh yeah, rules are a simple one-on-one, my Romeo against your serperior! One still standing wins!"

"Fine."

"Begin!" they both yelled out, the two pokémon leaping apart as their trainers did the same.

The trees around them were both a hindrance and a help, providing some cover for any incoming attacks, but their sturdy trunks also got horrendously in the way, slowing down most of their maneuvers as their pokémon tried to accommodate themselves for the cramped terrain.

Nothing a few powerful attacks couldn't fix, but they weren't specifically in this to set the whole forest on fire, and that would certainly be a pain to fix.

The last thing any of them needed was for them to have to explain any authorities why they'd decided it would be a great idea to destroy the surrounding nature in a battle.

"Let's start things up Ivy, Leaf Blade!"

"Sser!"

"Romeo, ready for a counter!"

They were both practically knock off of their own feet by the ensuing explosion.

* * *

The screen shook violently as an unnatural wind hit its carrier, unsteadying the strong flying-type and probably forcing it to push some distance away. Below, the forest it'd been focused on blurred and static blinded the feed for a split second before it finally corrected itself.

They were… skilled, he'd admit, even if a little reluctantly. Their pokémon powerful and probably just what he needed.

He'd found quite a few powerful trainers.

All of them useful in their own ways, but all of them a risk he needed to take if wanted to fulfill his own ambitions. He'd make a world for them all, even if he had to destroy the world entirely and recreate it anew. But he had to be careful.

Almost all of the pieces were in place, and while he'd probably invited more than enough trainers, a few more couldn't hurt. The more powerful pokémon the better, and with the little test he had in mind, it would greatly reduce the number of those that would be attending his little… party.

Few enough that they wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him after his plans got into motion.

Ashe thought he was being overly hopeful, and not nearly careful enough, but she also had more faith in the humans than he did. He wasn't entirely sure if maybe she thought she saw something in them, or maybe not, but she seemed to be of the mind that while his plan was almost perfect, it could still fail. And do so horrendously.

He was sure though, that she was overestimating the humans. They relied too much on the wild pokémon they caught and trained and didn't know how to defend themselves.

Once he removed those though, they'd be completely defenseless. They wouldn't have a chance to stop him, and he wouldn't give them any.

" _What do you think… Master?"_

What did he think? That they were weak inferior beings who far outreached themselves and were in dire need of a little humbling. They were selfish, evil little scum and he'd be far too happy to end them _all_. Yes, he probably sounded very bitter, but in the words of the very humans he despised, he just didn't give a damn.

But that wasn't what this woman was asking and he knew it. His eyes flashed, and the woman who'd been standing there for countless hours waiting for his approval or disapproval nodded and bowed.

" _I will go and prepare the invitation then."_ She disappeared into the darkness surrounding the room, and he could feel the very shift in the atmosphere as a window was opened somewhere along castle, that dragonite they'd taken in ripping through the skies at a vicious pace that was sure to get him to the region in question by the end of the day, if not in the next few hours.

* * *

"You're pretty good!" Yes, but this girl was better. She was clearly the more experienced of the two, and it showed in this battle. She had no idea where this girl had come from, but for a trainer she and her pokémon both were _far_ more vicious than she'd led them to believe.

Half way through the battle, things had shifted, and maybe the girl had been playing around before, but now she was all but wiping the floor with Ivy. Her pokémon were _strong._

"…!" she might've said something but she unintentionally cut herself off. There was a pinprick of something at the edge of her senses, a new fire that hadn't been there before. And it was getting closer, and at a frighteningly fast speed.

"Hey!" she was brought out of her little reverie rather abruptly, but she wasn't entirely sure on whether or not it was a bad thing. Did they even have time to get away? "What's up?"

"Somethings coming…"

"Huh?" as if that confused expression was the cue it'd been waiting for, something tore through the clearing, knocking over a few trees and sending the both of them sprawling to the ground. They both landed with a rather heavy thunk, dazed and more than a little confused.

Had that been a dragonite?

"Rwoar!" as if to confirm that, the beast in question had roared, flying back over to stare at them both as if _they_ were the ones at fault, a satchel hung across a shoulder and resting against a hip.

' _Does this pokémon even have hips?'_

"Damn lizard, we were in the middle of something!"

"Be nice, I'm sure he didn't mean to."

" _Mean to?_ Ah, whatever… Huh?" both of them blinked in shock as the creature handed them both a strange, blank envelope, waiting patiently as the two investigated it before opening them.

Some lady in a strange outfit appeared and explained to her the delivery, how there was some gathering with skilled trainers and how the self-proclaimed "strongest pokémon trainer" was the one hosting the whole thing.

She'd kind of stopped listening around the time she'd mentioned strong trainers.

If they were anything like the girl next to her… Then she'd be having a lot of fun. This was a challenge she could really get behind.

"I guess we could go. What do you think Romeo?"

"Roserade" she heard the response from somewhere over her shoulder, but completely ignored it, checking the box that said yes with little hesitation. Somewhere over her shoulder she was sure Ivy was giving her a disapproving glare, but she didn't care. She couldn't possibly pass this up.

"Here." She gave it back to the dragon, the creature nodding as it took the envelope from the other girl as well before taking off again and simultaneously knocking them both on their collective asses. "Does it _have_ to do that?"

"Heheh," the girl chuckled from her place, recalling her own grass-type as she brushed herself down before joining her. Why was she being so clingy? "Well, we should probably get going."

"Why?"

"Because, we're got three weeks, and we're in the northern most tip of the Kalos region. It's going to take us a bit to get to the nearest city with a port, And then from there we have to get to this Old Shore Wharf."

"I meant, why 'we'. I'm not going with you." She hadn't actually known all of that, but she wasn't about to admit it to some stranger. Even if that stranger was acting overly familiar with her.

"Why not?"

"We don't know each other, we just met."

"Yeah we do. See, what's my name?"

"Felicity?"

"Exactly, and your name's Ace. We know each other."

"Arceus, you're unbelievable."

"Heh… Anyways, let's go!"

"H-Hey!" she found herself being dragged along, the other girl just barely giving her enough time to recall her own pokémon before she dragged them off into some seemingly random direction in the woods.

' _Great, I get to travel with Chipper McGee…'_ Oh, there was that sarcasm.

* * *

A/N. So I introduced two OCs this time around. First one is Ace Knight, courtesy of NightHunterDeath, and the second is Felicity Willows by Cant Catch This. I hope you enjoyed meeting these two, and watch out! Cuz soon we're going to be getting back to the main main part of the story! The movie parts coming up soon so be on the lookout.

Anyways, thanks for reading the chapter, please leave a review, and see ya!


	11. Race to New Island! -Strange Storms

A/N. And now time for big brother!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 10: Race to New Island! -Strange Storms...**

* * *

"Red!" The voice isn't entirely unwelcome, but he has found himself rather reluctant to begin with. Sending a speeding dragon that hit like a tank was not the way to invite people over after all, and the sheer remoteness of the location had been sending all manner of warning bells ringing in his head.

He hadn't even heard of New Island before, and yet there was someone actually _living_ there, someone who was inviting people, pokémon trainers over.

It couldn't possibly end well, but he was curious. And he needed a break.

He'd ignore that little nagging voice somewhere in the back of his head that told him he had no time for a break, there was a little girl out there somewhere waiting for him to come save her, and he was off gallivanting to unknown places and challenging egotistical people who thought they were the best when no one even knew who they were.

Giovanni had seen himself as the best, and he had been the best gym leader. But he was also a filthy criminal who could be the cause behind one of the biggest as-of-yet unsolved problems in his life, and if it turned out to be true…

Well, the man certainly wouldn't be living long enough to make that mistake again.

Maybe he was being bitter and brutal, but that had been his little sister. His _baby_ sister who hadn't even been half his age yet, and had been taken by strange people to never be seen again. She'd looked to him for protection and he had failed, he owed her this much at the very least…

Nevermind the fact that she could be…

" _Could be what? You know you won't accept that Red, even after you've seen the body! She's-!"_

" _My little sister isn't dead!"_

He'd swore he'd never think about _that_ again, but then again, his own memories did have a habit of coming up from behind to bite him in the ass…

"Red!" Ah, yes, the voice. Or rather person. People aren't just voices, much as he'd like them to be otherwise. They have feelings, and emotions, a will of their own, they can be annoying and every other unpleasant thing under the sun. But they can also be like his sister, sweet, and gentle and far too innocent for everything the world has to offer.

This is a person much like his sister, and while he has known the boy for a long time, it still comes as a bit of a shock to see him. He hadn't entirely expected young Gary to show up in a place like this.

"And here I was thinking Blue was bad, but you are worse by far. You have him completely beat in the whole spacing out thing…" and he can't help but sigh, because the boy is right in some ways and entirely wrong in another.

Blue spaces out for many different reasons, whether they be introspective or him just daydreaming about some pretty girl he has recently crossed. Or was, now all of his rival's thoughts are wrapped up in hunting down the "son-of-a-bitch" who'd had the audacity to attack his family, in the brown haired, cocky trainer's own words.

"…"

"Um…" Much like his brother, Gary has no issue interrupting his thoughts, no matter how serious they might seem to be, and is even worse at reading his mood. But Gary doesn't _know_ him like his older brother does, and as much as the two are increasingly alike, they are just as vastly different.

Red was sure at one point that that was alright, but after the incident at the Viridian City Gym, he is not entirely so sure.

Neither of the older trainers had been pleased to discover the young boy unconscious and injured on the floor, and Red had had half a mind to pin it in on Giovanni, but even _he_ knew that that was risky to Team Rocket.

If the man wanted to re-establish a proper foothold within the Kanto region, he'd need to do so with secrecy, and that was not attained by having his pokémon attack fairly innocent pokémon trainers in the midst of a scheduled gym battle.

But Blue probably stopped caring the instant Gary had to be placed in the hospital for a good three weeks afterwards. He'd been borderline comatose, and something in general seemed _wrong_ with the boy, but he'd recovered easily enough.

He'd been severely traumatized though, and while he handled his own alakazam well enough, as well as his older brother's and his own espeon, he seemed afraid of any other species that came within twenty yards of him, and every time he spotted a rock-type or an eeveelution that didn't belong to either of them he… didn't quite faint, but he always seemed rather tentative.

Red wasn't a psychic like Sabrina though, and couldn't look into the boy's head to see what was so… changed about him, but neither was Blue, and he knew that drove the other crazy.

They were both concerned, and after what had happened to his own sister…

"So… what are you doing here?" Well, that was a good enough distraction, and he'd take whatever he could to not dwell on the past too much. He'd already given more than enough thought to things he no longer could change.

And that was a fairly good question.

"…Come…" But he didn't _feel_ like talking in the middle of a crowded room as the sudden storm that had hit half way to Old Shore Wharf and practically flooded half the roads until they were completely impassable raged on. He was still soaking wet from the rain, his pikachu was tucked somewhere into his jacket, and they both would probably prefer to be dry, rather than begging for a sudden cold.

Sitting also sounded like a splendid idea.

"Sit," if there was one thing he'd appreciate about the younger brother of the three Oak siblings, it was that unlike the older two, he actually listened to him when he told him to do something. Blue fought him nearly every step of the way regardless of whether it was a life or death situation, and Daisy, bless her kind little heart, laughed and never took him quite seriously enough. She was a little ditzy in that regard, but if she'd been any other way he'd have thought she was an imposter.

"So um… here?" He pulled the card the dragonite that had all but ran him over in its apparent determination to deliver out of his front shirt pocket, and was impressed it hadn't been completely soaked through by the rain, showing it to Gary as if it would actually mean something to the boy.

It probably wouldn't, but he wasn't entirely sure how he could explain this properly without seeming as insane as he honestly felt.

"Oh, you got that too? So did I… And I think Blue… but…" Would Blue have shown up? Probably not, he hadn't seen him and he wouldn't have been very far from Gary if he had decided to attend this get-together. Gary was probably wishing that his older brother was here to help make this conversation a lot easier.

The boy _had_ always been awkward around him, and without his own little sister or Blue, he was practically hopeless when it came to holding a conversation. He still hadn't quite grasped all the little subtleties needed to "speak Red" as Blue had once so creatively put it between insulting him and encouraging Gary to _act_ like the asshole his brother seemed to strive to be.

"He's proud, and I'm sure he would've been here too, if he wasn't so caught up in other things." Other things being his self-assigned mission of hunting down whoever had attacked his brother. Gary had been the least helpful in this of course, trying in his own way to keep his older brother from getting himself killed by keeping his own lips shut tight on the matter, but Blue was relentless and refused to give up until he had the culprit's head on a silver platter.

He couldn't say he was any better though; chasing ghosts and dead ends on very little sleep because his own head wouldn't let him live down that fateful night.

And there was no sure of Blue being here. Blue would be here, no ifs, no ands, and damn sure no buts to be had about it, but he'd seen a bad idea in this and had decided to play it safe. He'd also probably told Gary to not come as well, and in fact he _had_ without a doubt, and Gary had been his usual little shit self and gone behind his brother's back to do the exact opposite of what he'd been told.

It would certainly explain Gary's guilty countenance and his hair-trigger paranoia of looking at the door as if he expected the older trainer to come busting through them any second and drag him off by his ear whilst making a terrible scene.

He probably would, if he found out before the ferry showed up to take them to this island palace, but what were the chances?

' _Somewhere between nil and very much happening in the next five seconds. Gary better start praying. Maybe he won't be publicly embarrassed.'_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CLOSED?!" the shout came from somewhere closer to the entrance that led to the docks, and he found himself standing rather protectively in front of Gary as he surveyed the apparent damage.

There was a crowd of people, obviously trainers by the pokéballs fastened to various pieces of clothing, and they all seemed tense and visibly upset about something. It made him curious, and while he wasn't going to leave Gary by himself just yet, he really wanted to check this out.

"What should we do?"

"Let's go." He walked over, Gary practically at his heels, and with a grace he wouldn't ever admit to if asked, easily guided the both of them through the throng of angry trainers to the center, where the cause of the shout was likely to be.

"Stand down Trainer, the storm is too violent for any boat to travel safely to! You all need to stay indoors where it's safe!" The familiar figure of an Officer Jenny could clearly be seen, standing next to some woman he faintly recognized as the owner of the facility from when he'd last visited at the beginning of his journey. Or maybe her daughter; they had looked surprisingly alike, and it was a known fact that the Jennys and Joys that operated in most cities were all related in some way. And the trait wasn't solely kept to those respective families.

"Red..."

"Trainers, please settle down." The woman began to speak, telling them some convoluted prophecy or tale he remembered hearing as a child from one of his grandparents. It settled most of the trainers down, and a few of them settled. Officer Jenny took the opportunity to also point out that the local Nurse Joy had been missing for an indeterminate time, and that was a concern all of on itself.

Everything was calm for the most part, until five trainers, including Gary took off right passed the two women and straight out into the storm. Red found himself easily following along, if only because he knew Blue would kill him if he'd decided to stay behind due to a storm and let Gary get himself killed.

What had even gotten into the boy?

"Wait!"

"Sorry, ma'am! But no freaky storms stopping me!" Gary actually had the audacity to pause long enough to say that, right before releasing his blastoise and hopping onto its back. The giant of a water-type waited only long enough for him to join, before they took off into the worst of it.

Around him he could see various pokémon taking to the water or air. Some guy in a white wife beater, a brown t-shirt, and leather duster taking off on what looked like a slowbro at near unnatural speeds, looking like he was having the time of his life.

There was a more serious looking guy in a black hoodie, on a charizard, and he was doubly impressed with the fact that he could fly that thing in this kind of detrimental weather, but the lizard didn't even seemed bothered. Almost determined as it took off in the direction the island was in.

There was a guy in a black jacket that struck a slightly familiar cord on some kind of dragon he'd personally never seen before, and there was a girl clad in literally nothing but black who hopped onto a clearly well-trained lapras as well, but he only caught snippets of their appearance as they disappeared.

Gary's blastoise was very impressive itself, not deterred at all by the frankly rocky waters as it plowed through the ocean in the same general direction as the others.

At the speed all of them were going it'd be a race to the palace, and he had a feeling that's exactly what they'd all been going for at the very beginning.

Pokémon trainers were like that in the worst way possible, and he could even faintly here the frustrated cries of Officer Jenny who still stood at the end of the pier.

Poor woman probably wanted to throttle them all after that stunt.

"Gary…"

"What?"

"Blue is going to kill the both of us for this."

"Not if he doesn't find out." And he wouldn't, because Red wanted to live, and he couldn't find his sister if he was dead. He couldn't make whoever had taken her pay for their crimes.

* * *

A/N. I am having _fun_ with this fic! This is great! Anyways… Enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


	12. Meeting the Master

A/N. So I'm having fun, what about you guys?

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 11: Meeting the Master**

* * *

They'd all hit land at roughly the same time, shaking themselves free of water as they recalled their pokémon and tried to get the ocean out of their shoes. The storm had been surprisingly easy to traverse despite the aggression it had originally hit with.

If anything, an easily overcome but genuinely fun nuisance.

Genuinely fun, because the majority of them were little shits who didn't know when to stop, and kept attacking each other with mild and weak attacks to slow them down. In the end it really had turned into a race, which was, in hindsight, probably not their most brightest idea. But he'd never claimed to be wise, and stupid kind of came with the territory of being a trainer.

Blue would've joked about that had he been present, but he'd also be trying to kill him if he was as well. And he still couldn't decide whether that was worth the risk or not.

"So remind me again, who won that? Because I'm pretty sure we all almost drowned in the ocean twice at least."

"Welcome Trainers," If anyone had been about to answer, the woman from the hologram certainly hadn't been the one they were all expecting. She stood there, not bothered by the prevalent rain at all, water licking at her feet as the ocean continued to turn, and looked at them all as if this was almost _normal_.

And something bothered him greatly about that.

People didn't stand in the rain and watch trainers race each in the midst of a violent storm and just go about their day like normal. Or, most people didn't, but if this _was_ New Island, than maybe the owner of this place was just as bad as them and she'd long since grown desensitized to the wild antics those in their field normally got up to.

"Do you have your invitations?" All business clearly, they weren't people she knew, so she probably didn't feel like she had to be all that warm to them. But still, there was something decidedly off about her, and he still hadn't quite figured out what.

There was no point to really questioning the woman though, and she _had_ asked them all a question… "I see." She took the invitations from them all, bowing in thanks before turning and asking them all to follow her inside.

As it turned out, they'd all lost that race before it had even really started.

 _Someone_ had actually been here already.

Two girls actually, at least eighteen years in age, and all very skilled in their lackadaisical, almost bored posture. Well, almost bored in that only one of them looked like they wanted to be anywhere else at the moment, because it _had_ to be far more interesting. The other was clearly caught up in some one-sided conversation she was having the other, darker dressed girl, clearly the younger of the two despite being that slightest bit taller.

"Wait, but weren't the ferries all canceled?" It was a fair question, and he didn't recognize either of them from the crowd of trainers that had harassed Officer Jenny at the Old Shore Wharf. But they very well could've left before the storm even hit and had decided to use their own pokémon to make the trip…

"Oh, hey Ace! Look! More people!" the blonde girl seemed to only brighten when she caught sight of them all, and quickly came over to fuss over the lot of them, pushing them towards the long table in the center of the room even as a few of them struggled to wring the rest of the water from their clothes.

"Uh… Hi?"

"Hi, the names Felicity!" the girl introduced, all bright smiles and bright green eyes that reminded him of grass. She shifted her hoodie around, and he spotted the well-worn pokéballs she carried; a pokémon trainer and one whose name he felt like he should know…

"Wait… Felicity? As in Felicity Willows?"

"Yep, that's the one! How'd you know?"

How'd Gary known? How couldn't he have more like. He _was_ the grandson of the professor in charge of the Kanto region and its trainers, and while that might not have always accounted for much world-wide, that did keep help a lot in keeping him in the loop of who was who in the pokémon world.

And Felicity was… well, not famous, but she _was_ well-known. An up-and-coming grass-type specialist known for her skills and her pokémon. Not a push-over either, if stories were to be believed. The girl was frightening on the battlefield, always making sure her pokémon had complete control of what was going on, no matter how hard her opponent struggled. Not impossible to beat, but it was infinitely more difficult when she kept your pokémon constantly sick in some way, either knocking them out with a Sleep Powder, or poisoning, or worse.

Not famous, but someone to watch out for if you wanted a challenge. She'd supposedly beat most of the grass-type gym leaders, and had only a few left to take down, some of which were apparently re-matches.

The other girl, Ace… It couldn't be Ace Knight. Much as the girl was known to like a challenge, but would she risk this kind of situation? Probably but still…

"Red… Isn't that the Ace of Spades? Ace Knight of Nuvema Town?" Apparently it was, and if these two were well-known pokémon trainers, he'd be willing to bet money that the rest were as well.

But why gather so many of them in one place?

"Please release your pokémon from their pokéballs. My master's intentions will be made clear shortly." The woman droned, her face striking a familiar cord in him before she disappeared into one of the nearby halls.

He was tentative to do as asked, but it was clear that the others had also let a few of their pokémon out. Not all of them, but pieces. Pieces were better than nothing though, if this was going to turn bad like he thought it was going to.

His pikachu climbed out from the safety of his jacket, cooed at the sight of Gary and clambered along his lap until it tapped two pokéballs, and an espeon and snorlax both popped out.

Vui, Lax, and Pika, three of his team, and some of his most trusted pokémon. If anything happened they'd be able to handle it easily enough. Gary didn't let out his blastoise like he'd been expecting, but an unevolved eevee and his alakazam did join them. The boy had been easily drawn into a conversation with Felicity, who chattered happily away them about their companions and the pokémon they both had. The grass-type specialist even called over the pokémon she'd let out of their pokéballs, introducing them to the clearly nervous trainer.

She was obviously doing her best to make him feel comfortable; Gary _was_ the youngest of their group, and if the boy had made it any more obvious he might've winced. But so long as Gary was happy, he couldn't really argue. And in the meantime he could busy himself with trying to figure out who the rest of the people in their group were.

One look at curly, brown, almost red hair though and a set of eyes that had clearly seen too much marked a rather familiar face, and unlike the other two he'd immediately recognized this one. Siphon Rayzar, who he hadn't battled at any point, but _had_ seen in passing when he'd gone up to Mt. Silver to train. He'd kept an eye out for him of course, half expecting a challenge but never actually getting one, until the guy had disappeared altogether. He was fairly certain he hadn't even known he'd had other human company aside from the occasional poacher on that mountain.

He couldn't guess as to why, but Siphon was glaring at a head of brown hair currently playing dead on the table… or rather, clearly napping and in absolutely no rush to be doing anything. At their feet were their pokémon, the dragon Siphon had rode on curled up rather neatly at his feet and probably contemplating eating the brown haired trainer's leg, with a charizard curled up at the back of the chair and what looked like a typhlosion standing not far from the tightly knit group and sniffing at the air.

The brown haired trainer had some sort of… what he assumed was an electric-type by Pika's interest in the pokémon, but it was clearly foreign and not something one could easily acquire in Kanto, which meant like most of them, he'd come from abroad. Next to him was a kanghaskan and what looked like some strange bug-type that made the air around its wings quiver form obvious heat. A fire/bug dual-type?

He'd be honest and admit that he hadn't thought that was actually possible…

Ace had another eeveelution with her, an umbreon that lay curled some distance from the others, while still being close enough to intervene if anything attacked its trainer, and curled around the chair was some long, green snake-like pokémon he'd also never seen before. Next to her was a human-like pokémon, and if he remembered correctly he was pretty sure it was a gardevoir; a former pure psychic-type that had recently been discovered to have actually been some kind of dual-type with something that was immune to dragon-types. What had it been? Fairy?

Something like that, but it wasn't something he could be particularly concerned with when Gary was making an extra special effort to keep distance between the pokémon and himself. That damn phobia was rearing its ugly head again, but Felicity seemed to be going the extra mile by distracting him with one of her grass-types. She seemed to have switched her exeggutor when he hadn't been looking with a different one, and this one made the whole room temperature drop like a graveler in water.

But it wasn't upsetting Gary like the psychic-type was, and he wouldn't complain about that.

"Red, right?" He'd turned his gaze on the hooded trainer, and his eyes had narrowed at the sight of how young this one was. Older than Gary, and maybe around his own age… But not someone he knew readily off the bat. He'd thought he'd seen him before though, just not dressed like this, and he certainly hadn't had a charizard at the time…

But maybe a charmander?

' _Professor Sycamore's assistant?'_ If it was him, than he certainly was far away from home. Kalos wasn't a reasonable distance from Kanto, in fact, it took a whole day of a plane ride to get there depending on from where exactly you left.

Still, last he'd seen of the guy, he'd been chasing that gible he'd found across the background of the lab in some hair-raising attempt to keep it from eating the more valuable electronics, a charmander at his heels at some poor attempt to help.

Now he was older, looking a lot more… serious. Something had changed in that time, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. His charmander had evolved though, and it had become strong, more than strong actually. There was something hidden on it, and he had feeling it had something to do with the very apparent stone embedded into the collar around its neck.

There was an odd, subtle mixture of anger and concern in his eyes, and he wasn't entirely sure what or who it was directed at.

"Sorry about that, he spaces out… like a lot…"

"I can tell!" He found himself sighing, giving Gary a disbelieving look at the two more sociable trainers laughed at his own expense. Did Gary _have_ to pick right now?

"So anyways, Red, you and Gary are from the same town, right?" he nodded, unsure of why exactly she was drawing him in when he'd clearly been content to just watch…

He just barely caught her subtle glance to Gary.

' _Ah… I'm familiar to him, and she recognizes that…'_ She was using him to soothe Gary, and he wasn't entirely against that but still…

"So did you meet up at the Old Shore Wharf or…?"

"Old Shore Wharf… I hadn't actually expected him to show up…" He found himself nodding along, if only to give the illusion that he was actually listening.

"I see."

"How'd you get here before us?"

"Oh, me and Ace here were battling each other when we got our invitations. So we decided to travel together."

"Correction, _you_ decided to follow me, we weren't traveling together." Felicity gave a rather sympathetic smile to that, almost looking sorry, if not for the mischievous gleam in her eyes the screamed the exact opposite. She clearly hadn't cared at all what the other girl had wanted and had tagged along because she could… Or maybe she just hadn't wanted her to be alone.

She seemed the type, hovering around Gary like she was.

"Well, Ace apparently likes to show up early. And I mean _really_ early. We've been here since yesterday morning."

" _Yesterday_?" Gary asked in clear disbelief, and even he found himself a little shocked. He understood wanting to be punctual, but that just seemed almost ridiculous.

Almost, he'd known someone personally who'd have shown up a week in advance, if not the very instant they'd gotten an invitation.

"Why are there so many dragons…?" He'd almost missed that mumble entirely, as caught up in disbelief as he'd been, but he hadn't. He looked towards the resident ice-type user, clearly by the few ice-types he recognized;

The lapras had been a dual-type, but it had obviously been returned to its pokéball, and in its stead came the dark/ice dual-type he'd almost immediately recognized as a weavile, what he faintly remembered as a glalie and some strange pokémon that floated off the ground and chilled the very air around it.

And their trainer was glaring, actively so, with a barely hidden hint of fear, at the dragons clearly sitting in plain sight of her. She'd sat the farthest away she could manage from those that had them, and clearly thought she wasn't nearly far enough.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine…"

"Really?" Felicity gave her unsure look, pulling Gary along with her as she joined the girl at her own end of the table. Those that were awake quirked an eyebrow at the motion, and watched as the bright girl determinedly pulled the other into a conversation, dragging in Gary when she could.

' _Motherly instincts? Or is she just being nice?'_

Distracted as he'd been while keeping one eye on Gary, he'd almost missed it entirely when the room fell silent, and the lights darkened completely.

"Ok, who killed the sun?" there was a snort somewhere amidst them that he hadn't exactly been able to pin, but all laughter was lost as the strange woman appeared, a younger girl not much younger than Gary standing at her side and some strange, quadrupedal pokémon he'd never seen before standing between them both.

Somewhere behind him, Gary gasped and he only just barely caught sight of him all but curling in on himself behind the grass-type specialist, as the other girl actually looked concerned.

And she had every right to be, because looked like Gary was about to hyperventilate himself straight into another coma.

"H-Hey!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to meet our master," and the lad assistant who probably had no business being here gasped and almost stood up from his seat, eyes focused on the youngest of the duo.

"The time has come for you to face the most powerful pokémon trainer in the world…"

" _ **Mewtwo…"**_

* * *

A/N. Cliffhanger! Cuz why not? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


	13. Battles upon, Battles Mewtwo

A/N. So from here on out out, I'll be making a valiant attempt to squeeze what might've taken two chapter to get to the point of into one. I will probably fail spectacularly at this endeavor.

But none of you will be able to say (hopefully) that I didn't try…

I am probably going to eat those words later.

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

 **EP 12: Battles upon Battles; Mewtwo's Plan?!**

* * *

There was an unfamiliar pounding at the back of his skull, like a headache but not quite there just yet. An unease in the air and a powerful sense of _something_ that just was… not in front of them all per say, but was there none the less. And it was strange how he could feel like something should be there when he could barely see his own in front of his own face in the pitch darkness of the room.

There was a single light of course, but that light left him shaking in a way he hadn't since his last battle with Giovanni, when it'd been tooth and nail grinding determination against sheer skill he hadn't really had the experience to match on an even playing field.

He'd won that by a miracle and a fucking landslide of happenstance decisions and off-the-wall tactics that would've had Blue slapping him upside the head for being an idiot. But this wasn't something he actually felt like he could win.

There was… a power of some kind, so strong it was almost suffocating, somewhere above their heads and looming over them as if they were mere little caterpie in the face of a monster of a pokémon.

He wanted to run, _he wanted to fight_ , he actually wasn't entirely sure _what_ exactly it was he wanted to do, but there was something coming and it was far bigger than anything he'd ever faced before.

How did one face something like this and not almost cave under the pressure?

And he wasn't the only one apparently feeling that way. The others seemed almost blind to the foreboding sense of doom he'd been getting since the lights went out, but the one girl, Ace, had been looking at the ceiling with a distant but focused look and going increasingly pale the more seconds passed.

And Gary… Gary looked _sick_ , beyond sick actually. To be honest, he hadn't thought it was possible to look that pale unless you were dead, and he'd almost made the mistake of assuming such with the younger trainer.

He was terrified, curled in on himself and trying to look far smaller than he actually was. And he felt bad for not being closer to Gary so the boy had something to cling to that wasn't a person he'd just met. But Felicity seemed to have it under some control at the very least.

She had what little of the boy's attention was left and not wrapped up in some kind of horrific nightmare only he was seeing, and she was trying to keep him as calm as she possibly could through what probably had to be the worst panic attack he'd ever seen.

If this could even be considered one.

"M-Me…"

And the sight of the misshapen, malformed, _inhuman_ shadow floating down almost dismissively from the whole in the ceiling only seemed to be making it _worse_.

"G-Gary, please… You have to stay with me. I know it's difficult, but you have to breathe… Do you hear me? Breathe, or you're gonna pass out…" She had her other spontaneous charge pick up her bag, handing it to the blonde girl as she traded placed with the other girl to dig for something. He wasn't entirely sure what, but if it helped his rival's younger brother breathe a little easier he wasn't about to complain.

"A-A pokémon?" he heard one of the others question, right as the creature's feet hit the ground.

A long tail, cat-like face, too humanly proud to be considered normal stance; the fear was gone, but he wasn't sure whether he could call the new emotion he was experiencing complete and total shock, or an increasingly strange and unfamiliar form of confusion. This thing, this pokémon, whatever it was, it wasn't normal.

Not necessarily off, but its misshapen form almost reminded him of a lab experiment gone just shy of completely awry.

And the _power_ it was emitting in waves…

But if it really was a lab experiment gone out of control, who would've been insane enough to make it?

' _You idiot… Who isn't insane enough to make it is more like…'_ It would've been far more easier to make than the list of potential psychopaths that would want something like this in their hands.

After all he could start the latter off with the bastard known as Giovanni and end it right then and there. The man had always wanted to be revered as a god after all, and he'd made no secret of the fact, even amidst hiding the truth of who and what he actually was. But there were also a dozen more sociopaths that were almost as bad, and pinning it on Giovanni was contrastingly easy and just as impossible as proving that the esteemed gym leader was actually the big boss of a criminal organization renowned for thieving, poaching, and just generally being a source of nigh unstoppable mayhem.

Because against the seasoned experience and irrefutable reputation of the gym leader, his word would've meant less than the dirt they walked on, and they'd both known it in that final confrontation. Even if Giovanni had lost, the bastard would still go free, and next time Red wouldn't have been so lucky. And his little sister might've gotten caught in the fray. Or rather, she already had, and he'd been too stupid and too slow to stop it in time…

But playing who'd done it wasn't going to get them out of this situation in one piece, and the way that pokémon was looking at all of them promised a painful ending to this little story.

"That is right." the older woman began, interrupting his thoughts and drawing what little of their attention they'd all been willing to spare towards herself as the pokémon stood there, tail waving slightly in the air behind it. "The world's strongest pokémon trainer is also the world's strongest pokémon…"

"The hell it is! That's a pokémon! A pokémon can't be a trainer!" Ace must've been feeling particularly suicidal, because he doubted she would've said that so brazenly otherwise.

He'd heard the girl was a bit of a troublemaker at times, but to challenge a creature they didn't know the strength of, and straight to its face no less… Well, it wasn't the brightest one could do in this situation. He just prayed it wouldn't be the last thing she did.

" **S** _ **il**_ _e_ **n** ce **Hu** _ **m**_ a _n_ _..._ _ **I**_ **m** a _ke_ t **h** **e** ru _ **l**_ **es** **n** o _w…_ " All _three_ spoke at once, the air chilling as if someone had released one of the legendary ice-types into the room, and he heard Gary _whimper_ as he receded into the protective shell Felicity made as she stood between the psychic and his rival's younger brother, cooing soft words and making him take some strangely colored liquid in a small jar that he hoped wouldn't put the boy out of commission for the rest of the evening, however badly Gary probably needed it.

Much as he hated to say it, the poor boy would only further hinder them if one of them had to constantly watch over his unconscious body should he just happen to pass out.

"What did you say?!" and it was all the warning any of them really got before the thing picked Ace up with some strange ethereal energy and tossed her aside like a ragdoll. She bounced rather violently against the ground, and he saw her spin slightly for a split second before she disappeared in a jet of water, landing in one of the nearby fountains, and not immediately getting back up.

"Ace!" Felicity called out, face contorted in an obvious show of concern, eyes wide and looking like she desperately wanted to go make sure the younger girl was okay, and stuck in indecision because there were two other, much younger trainers who she felt needed her just as much.

Her form practically collapsed in relief though when the trainer in question pulled herself out of the fountain finally, sputtering and looking like _she_ wanted to kill something instead. She swore rather loudly, cussed some more and then glared the psychic down despite the fact that it had just swatted her aside like an insect.

"Son of bitch, you're gonna pay for that!" she'd screamed, motioning for one of her pokémon to attack. All three did so with little hesitation, roaring their anger at the apparent assault only to be stopped dead in their tracks before they got even a foot away from the original positions.

They struggled, but it was rather fruitless in the end, all of them meeting the exact same fate their poor trainer had. The green snake looked the least bothered by where they had landed, but they were all sporting equally murderous looks at the brazen dismissal.

"Ivy! Leaf Storm!" And she didn't give up either, the grass-type in question all but turning the table over and forcing the rest of them to scatter so they wouldn't get hit as the attack cut through the floor and headed straight at its target.

The psychic seemed to almost laugh at the sight of the rather vicious move, and the strange pokémon from earlier eyed it for a split second before herding the two humans there were so clearly brainwashed out of the way of the assault.

The powerful attack was stopped dead in its tracks however, the green wind and the leaves littered throughout inverting and twisting under the psychic's power until it formed a tight, little, heavily pressurized ball.

" _ **Weak."**_ The pokémon spoke, its deeper voice echoing in their heads right before it sent the attack back. It shot off with a speed he hadn't seen before, and the grass-type immediately curled around its trainer and the rest of her pokémon, a protective barrier that simply wasn't going to hold up against the onslaught.

But with no time to move…

"Ace! Drop the barrier!"

"Sage, Extreme Speed!" the girl did as instructed reluctantly, and both her and her pokémon vanished in a blur of speed as something big and close to the ground sped past. The fountain smashed in a watery explosion, the suddenly clear liquid pooling out of its broken container and spreading onto the floor, a giant crater where there'd been some rather pretty ornament at the center.

Ace appeared next to Siphon, cussing up a rather furious storm and looking no less angry as water dripped from her clothes, the typhlosion that had been sniffing at the air now standing behind her and looking down at the trainer rather scoldingly, as if to say _"That was stupid and dangerous, and you know it."_

"What the hell?!" she finally barked, turning her nasty glare on Siphon for a split second before focusing its surprising strength back onto the offending pokémon that was source of most of her current ire.

"Ace! You _need_ to calm down!" the blonde reminded as she dragged a much calmer looking, if a bit dazed Gary and a rather reluctant looking slightly older ice-type specialist behind her.

"Her name's Prim…" Gary somehow slurred out, smiling at him as if he didn't have a care in the world. It _almost_ distracted enough to question Felicity on what exactly she'd given the boy, but they all had more pressing concerns and they knew it.

"Primrose, to be specific, but Prim will do. According to Miss Willows, this is an unfortunate side effect to a homemade remedy she knows of for things like panic attacks." She introduced, and waved her arm at Gary's near entirely slumped over posture. "Apparently he's a little younger than what the dosage she gave him normally calls for, but the one she'd have given him for his age wasn't doing the trick."

"He's a little loopy, but okay otherwise. It'll go away in a minute or two…" the blonde in question assured as she mother hen-ed Ace to practical death, fussing over the girl's more apparent injuries and scolding her for being so hot headed and blunt.

"Felicity, stop! Okay, I'm fine, and that pokémon is going to pay!"

"That pokémon almost killed you!" Ace went dead silent at that, glaring at Felicity for a good fifteen seconds before huffing her defeat. She contented herself to glaring though, not so quick to let well enough go, and he couldn't honestly blame her for that.

"Powerful is right…" Apparently Ace hadn't been the only one experiencing a bout of stupid ideas though, because the brown haired trainer he hadn't recognized at all from earlier was up, wide awake, and with three pokémon out and looking ready to brawl.

' _What was that Grandmother used to say about trainers? "We're all idiots who can't tell when to back down from a challenge" or something like that?'_

He was answered well enough when all three of the trainer's pokémon lunged, the ground lighting up as electricity coursed through it, hopping from place to place until it surrounded the strange pokémon completely, the source growling with an almost satisfied look on its face.

The other one that had first appeared with the humans moved again, herding them out of harm's way and well out of range of the strange attack.

The flaming bug pokémon circled around, wings glittering and a strange orb of light in its arms. After a split second it shot the orb up into the air, and the kangaskhan came running up with surprising speed, her arm cloaked in fire.

Amidst the electricity covering the ground a strange arc of it appeared, stronger than the current running through the dirt, and coiling around the psychic-type…

' _Thunder Wave…'_ his mind supplied instantly, and his jaw almost dropped at the near perfect synchronicity the three showed as they worked in tandem to subdue the powerful pokémon.

It was for not though, as the psychic stopped the flaming attack before it came anywhere close to dealing damage, eyes glowing as the normal-type struggled against its hold, only to be pushed back with the rest of their team as it broke the paralysis that had had ahold of its body just seconds prior.

' _Powerful indeed…'_

"You!" He'd been sure the pokémon, Mewtwo, was going to say something else, maybe mock them all for trying to take it down, insult them, fling them all around to just to show them how powerless they were in the face of his own might.

But then they turned on each _other;_ Siphon in a strange show of volatile anger sending the two fire-types in his team after the strange trainer, and the two only just barely missing their mark due to the young man's own team.

The kangaskhan had quickly stood between the two angry pokémon and her trainer, somehow managing to hold them both off despite the clear determination showing in the two's eyes to cause her trainer harm. But she was equally as determined from what he could see, and the two fire-types were quickly forced back to their own's side by the foreign electric-type and the fire/bug dual-type.

"Mah, mah… What's with the sudden anger, buddy?" The young man questioned, looking almost… unconcerned. Now that he could see the trainer clearly, he was almost definitely the oldest in their group, but there was something strangely relaxed about him. As if he had fully expected for someone to attack him without warning or reason. "I don't think I've done anything to you before…"

"You…" Siphon growled, and looked about ready to murder the brunette for some unseen transgression. And it went completely over his head. He couldn't figure out why Siphon seemed so _angry_ that he'd turned on an ally when there was a much bigger problem at hand.

Namely, the psychic that seemed almost content to watch them destroy each other.

"You're Siphon, right? Siphon Rayzar?" It was Felicity to speak up, confusion clear on her face as she stepped away from her adoptive charges to stare at him with an almost concerned expression, clearly worried for the safety of their younger members and whether or not the equally skilled trainer would fly off the handle and attack the kids as well.

"What of it?" he growled at her, looking particularly volatile, even if all that anger wasn't actually directed at her.

"You _do_ realize what you're doing, right?" she questioned, pushing Gary and Prim both behind her as she stared him down, warning him from attacking the two while she was still in the way to stop him. She had a hand on one of her pokéballs, clearly ready to pin the suddenly very aggressive trainer if the situation called for it.

"Of course I know what I'm doing! I'm getting rid of a fucking criminal!" the red head immediately turned his death glare back onto the nonchalant older trainer, and the guy seemed almost _amused_ at the sight, as if Siphon being angry and wanting him dead was the most entertaining thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

"Criminal?" they all stared wide eyed at the nonchalant brunette at that.

"Yes, criminal! Jack Holter, a fucking poacher!"

"Pokémon _merchant_. Entirely different thing, I promise." There was a part of him that wanted to call bullshit for that response, and maybe punch the guy for general purposes. Pokémon merchant? Seriously? He caught wild pokémon, and probably stole owned ones, and sold them to the highest bidder without a care in the world.

"Doesn't matter! You need to suffer!"

"Suffer? Ain't that a little extreme?" Extreme maybe, but hadn't there been an incident years back when Team Rocket had almost raised Viridian City to the ground?

A lot of people had died that day, and hadn't it come on some rare, extremely short interview that Siphon was originally from Viridian City? It certainly explained to some extent why exactly Siphon was so… deadset on seeing this Jack person dead.

"A _little_ extreme? People like you are what make the world such a bad place! You kill, you destroy, you harm pokémon and don't give two shits about who's lives you destroy in the process! You capture pokémon and sell them against their will!"

He was beginning to feel like they'd gotten themselves _way_ off track here…

"And you're any better… how exactly?"

"I'm _nothing_ like you!"

"Oh really? You don't capture wild pokémon, take them from their homes, maybe against their wills, and _force_ them to do battle? You don't occasionally _sell_ them for a different pokémon? That's what trading is, you know… Selling a pokémon to another trainer in return for one of their own."

That somehow managed to shut Siphon up long enough for the guy to do a rather perfect impression of a magikarp out of water, complete with a very interesting shade of red that he couldn't help but stare at in stunned silence as his own brain struggled to play catch-up with what was going on around him.

 _How_ had they gotten so off track so quickly that two of their own in very distant way, were going at each other's throats?

"That's it! Sage, Blaze!" the two fully evolved pokémon roared and shot forward with another Extreme Speed, ready to tear passed the three pokémon standing between them. They were stopped dead in their tracks again though, and this time it _wasn't_ Jack's own pokémon to intervene.

The strange pokémon that had first appeared with the two humans stood, the typhlosion effectively pinned under one paw despite being the bigger of the two while it glared down the charizard it'd missed by a hair, rather literally considering the telltale bits of orange scale caught on its claws.

Both growled at each other, even as it kept the typhlosion down with little effort, snarling and trying to get the other to back down, though neither were intimidated by their opponent.

"What the-?!" Siphon seemed shocked, and he couldn't honestly blame the guy considering that the pokémon in question hadn't budged an inch beyond what was necessary to protect the two humans. For it move so suddenly, and to so effectively stop his pokémon had probably been a rather unheard of thing when it hadn't seemed interested in the fighting prior.

But it was the chance he needed, and he wasn't just going to let it slide so easily.

"ENOUGH!" he shoved Siphon back, and his pikachu sparked the two fire-types into further submission, growling as it warned them that _now_ was not the time for vendettas. Criminal Jack may have been, but if they were going to make it out of this alive, they couldn't be killing each other at the first opportunity.

He _wasn't_ about to let another scenario like his little sister happen again. Even if something like this hadn't been the cause, _Gary_ was here, loopy and more than little out of it still, but here and his responsibility. He wasn't about to let Blue go through what he already had if he could stop it. And he'd throttle the both of them before he let either Jack or Siphon get in the way of that.

They needed to work together, not against each other.

" _ **Pathetic…"**_ Mewtwo's voice echoed out then, drawing all their attention as the strange pokémon slinked back to its side. _**"All you humans are the same…"**_

"What?"

" _ **So quick to turn on each other at the first opportunity. Selfish, violent creatures that can't handle their own emotions, even when the situation calls for it. You've all got your scars, and still you let them blind you…"**_

' _Blind us to what? What are you on about…?'_

" _ **You fail to realize just how the world suffers under your control."**_

"Suffers? Under our control?! What are you even on?! The world is just fine-!" Prim was probably gearing up for a few angry retorts to that accusation when Mewtwo cut her off with a sharp back of laughter.

" _ **HA!"**_ and if he hadn't known any better he might've even made the mistake of thinking this thing actually thought they were all funny. _**"You poison the earth and kill it, remaking it into your image… You think the world owes you and you do nothing in return. But I plan on changing that."**_

"So what? You're going to wipe out all the humans? Leave the world for just yourself and the pokémon?!"

" _ **Hmph, the pokémon will die too."**_

That made no sense. Wipe out the humans _and_ the pokémon? There were just too many, and there's no way the legendary pokémon would let that slide.

But he hadn't seen the articuno and moltres that dwelled on Mt. Silver's peaks in years now, and from he'd heard from a younger friend in Johto, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the three legendary beasts had all but vanished from the region entirely. Gods were finicky things after all, and it hadn't unheard of in the past for the legendary pokémon to abandon entire societies to their doomed fate…

But they wouldn't just let Mewtwo get away with this, right?

"You're insane!" Felicity called out, flinching back when Mewtwo focused his glare on her. She didn't budge much though, and kept a firm posture that clearly stated that the two behind her weren't going to get hurt if she had anything to say and do about it.

"Gemini! Feint Attack!" Siphon called then, a strange, foxlike pokémon leaping at the psychic-type. The dark-type attack might've actually hit too, hadn't it been for the powerful protect that caused it to bounce off. It landed on its feet though, and growled warningly as it eyed the creature that had earned its trainer's ire.

" _ **Foolish little creatures too. You always think you know everything. So sure in a power you do not actually possess."**_ Mewtwo seemed to snort at them, eyes flashing as he changed his focus to the woman and girl he'd probably been keeping captive for who knew how long. _**"I no longer have a need for either of you."**_

They approached them, setting several of them on edge until their eyes flashed for a split second and they collapsed in a heap. The lab assistant rushed to catch the young girl while he found himself with an armful of a strangely dressed woman with… _pink hair_ …

"Nurse Joy?" Felicity questioned as she ran over with the other two rather willingly at her heels for once, kneeling down to check the damage and see if both were okay.

"Mairin, Mairin, wake up! Please!" And apparently the rogue lab assistant knew the young girl he'd seemed so invested in. The two groaned, and blinked in confusion as they both woke up, looking at their surroundings and then at the people who were holding them.

"Hey… wait a minute… Alain, is that _you_ …?" Felicity clearly knew the assistant personally, if the frown she got in return for her words was any indication and she actually looked down at the girl for a split second…

"What the… Where am I? And what am I doing here…?" Nurse Joy questioned, drawing all of the attention to her for a second before Mewtwo drew it back to itself.

" _ **I needed someone with extensive knowledge on pokémon… and since you fit the role rather perfectly, I had you abducted and brought to the island to help in my plans. And I must say, it worked rather splendidly…"**_

"But that doesn't explain why you took Mairin! She's just a child!" Alain questioned, his hold protective as the girl still looked rather dazedly at her surroundings, clearly too confused to make sense of what was going on…

He found himself asking the same question. Nurse Joy made sense in a way he really didn't want to admit, but a little girl, probably having just recently start on her journey? What could she have that no one else would know about.

" _ **Mega evolution… Her journeys with you and the Hoenn champion certainly made for quite the useful tool."**_ And that explained so much and at the same time, made so many more questions.

He'd heard of mega evolution, but had never personally tried it. It was more of a Kalos and Hoenn thing, than anything else. Not necessarily rare, but it hadn't quite caught on yet with the rest of regions, and he himself had yet to travel abroad for long enough to experience it for himself. But he _did_ know that it made pokémon strong.

Far stronger than what they could be in their final forms. Though it was supposedly a temporary thing and only lasted the duration of a battle.

Mewtwo's answer only served to anger the former lab assistant though, and clearly he didn't take well to the idea of somebody using the child like that.

"Alain, we need to remain calm here. Siphon, Ace, and Jack all proved just how stupid an idea it is to charge headlong at that pokémon…"

" _ **There was a time… I'll admit that I thought to work alongside your kind, but I was mistaken. Your kind are a poison, and your pokémon**_ **weak** _ **! Enslaved by the humans that ruin this world!"**_

"Pika pi-pika!" Pika objected rather loudly to that accusation, glaring the psychic down for all his little body was worth as his cheeks sparked.

The electric mouse wouldn't attack without his say-so, but that would chance in a few seconds…

He'd had an age old nervous tick of sorts. Whenever he was angry, unbridledly so, he fiddled with a pokéball from his belt. It didn't honestly matter which one, or which pokémon it belonged to. Char's clawed to hell and back one, Saur's scratched and beaten but still functional, Vui's smooth and teeth-scarred. He just picked one. Right now, it was Pika's, old and unused since the very beginning of his journey, unmarred, perfect and yet… not. He still felt like it wasn't needed.

But it didn't matter, because this strange pokémon had just had the audacity to insult his pokémon. Any fear, any confusion, all his hesitation died a rather quick death when it came to his pokémon. He'd gone to some extreme lengths for his team, would continue to do so until it put him in his grave. It was the least he could do after all they'd done for him after all.

But come hell or high water, he refused to sit by and be idle after someone insulted them. They were family after all, and the only ones that had, aside from his little sister, never expected anything of him aside from love and affection.

They were family.

"You say we're weak…" He wasn't honestly used to having so much attention on him at once. Not since his sister had disappeared, been snatched. Right now it didn't matter, she… she could forgive him for this much at the very least. She liked his team too, so she could forgive him for putting them before her for once.

She would.

"R-Red?"

"You say we're the weak ones here, that our pokémon are weak. Prove it."

" _ **Oh?"**_

"Let's battle."

* * *

A/N. Ok, so cows go moo, ducks quack, Red is pissed, and Mewtwo is being an asshole right this second. Oh! And I ate my words this chapter! Anyone else want to point out obvious things or ask questions? Yes? No?

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the long-ish chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


End file.
